What do we know about socks?

[Crispvs]

I made a pair of socks based on a pattern from Matt's Legio XX site and modified to match the general shape of a number of socks found in waterlogged graves in northern Gaul (illustrated in Alex Croom's 'Roman Clothing and Fashion' published by Tempus). I have just marched Hadrian's Wall in them with Leg XIIII GMV (hence my absence from RAT for the last few days) and found they reduced rubbing from the caligae to a minimum. On the fourth day I found that the soles of the caligae were slightly too thin and the nails were beginning to push through. To remedie the pain of the equivilent of 52 stones in each boot I cut two (roughly) eight inch strips from a blanket and folded them to make a pair of five layer cushions that I then placed in my socks and, after adjusting the caligae to account for the slightly increased height of the feet, did the last two days in comparative comfort (leaving aside the effects of very hot weather). At no point did I stop to consider what colour the socks should be. In any case, the natural off-white colour quickly became a camophlage of light and dark brown, green and near black, thanks to the ground conditions!<br>
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Crispvs <p></p><i></i>