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>

[Luca]

I did something too:<br>
<br>
images.cisalpina.net2003...1018_1.JPG<br>
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They are comfortable and made of true camel wool.<br>
I used some suggestions here: shop.romanhideout.com/Acc...1_hist.asp <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

"Do you really think that soldiers would have been that fashion-conscious to worry about the color?"<br>
I think that any Roman soldier would have been just as vain about his appearance as any modern military man. After all, when you're dressed to kill you want to be dressed to kill. <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Just a thought though, did the romans know how to knit?Or did they use some other form of "knitting" ,crochet, nail binding? <p></p><i></i>

[Luca]

Knitting was well known in roman times.<br>
We have dozens of evidences in Egypt.<br>
I don't when this has been exported in the rest of the empire.<br>
<br>
Look here:<br>
www.romanhideout.com/imagesEGsocks.asp<br>
<br>
they are 400 AD, very late, but I know examples of things like these BC....<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[Lucius Aurelius Metellus]

Hi Luca,<br>
Those are awesome socks! I wish we knew of someone who made replicas of that type.<br>
Jsantell, I believe that Roman soldiers would have liked to have socks that matched their clothing and looked good, but what I was trying to say was that if they had to be issued socks from some supplier, or even sent from their mothers back home, they probably would have rarely had a choice in the color. They probably would have used whatever color of wool their mothers had to make the socks from at the time, or whatever color the issued socks happened to be.<br>
I am a soldier too, and very proud of my appearance, but if my feet are freezing, I don't really care if the socks are neon green, so long as they keep my feet warm!<br>
It could be that in areas where socks were used to a greater extent than others, it was probably cheaper to manufacture a pair of socks in a natural color as opposed to dyeing them. <p>Lucius Aurelius Metellus, miles gregarius, Secunda Brittanica</p><i></i>