Soleae Straps

[Neuraleanus]

The uxor wants a new roman dress, actually a complete roman make-over, from top to bottom. Considering the bottom-most part, I would like to provide her with a new pair of soleae, and I have been puzzling over the strap work. On the bottom of page 23 of "Romische Lederfunde aus Mainz" a sandal is shown with half of the strap work intact. A similar sandal is on page 103 of "The World of Roman Costume". I'm attempting to understand how the strap work is affixed to the sandal. Guessing a bit, lets assume three layers to the sole. Adjacent to the big toe there needs to be a pair of holes for the strap. I'm thinking that one way of accomplishing this is by cutting a rectangular hole in the middle layer, passing the strap back up through the top layer. The bottom-most layer covers up the strap. The toe strap splits in a Y to join straps perpendicular to the sole passing in front of the ankle from the middle layer with the strap then proceeding around the heel. The strap on the Mainz sandal appears to be one piece, I'm not sure how I would cut that. A diagram would be helpful here. Has anyone previously pondered this construction?

Another issue is the thong that joins the three layers together. I understand how this works, there is nice diagram of this in the book, "Stepping Through Time". However, once the sole is laced all the way around, how is the lace secured in place?

[M. Demetrius]

I don't quite see the way you're describing the strap...and don't have that book.

We've made a half-dozen pairs of those, and I'm starting one for myself. Ours are the simple, Judean/Roman style. There are two loops that come upward on both sides, and a heel loop, all vertical, and secured in place by the same stitching that holds the sole layers together. The toe string/strap, formerly called the "latchet" in KJV, is just a narrow strip of leather that goes through two holes in the upper, comes up over the arch to a knot or a slide of flat leather (we put some kind of decoration on lady sandals there, sometimes) then separates just below the instep, one strip going through each side loop, both going through the heel loop, on around the ankle joint and tying in a bow at the front.

There is a partial picture on the front cover of Roman Military Clothing 1: the fellow on the left is wearing a pair. Very simple. Can be made with or without hobnails. Right now, we don't have any here. Other people took them and walked off with them. Heh. Natch, that was the idea!

[Neuraleanus]

I don't quite see the way you're describing the strap...and don't have that book.

As I figured, some pictures are needed.

I want to duplicate the sandals worn by the frightened woman seen on the fresco in the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii:
[attachment=2:1dnif96p]<!-- ia2 soleaFresco.jpg<!-- ia2 [/attachment:1dnif96p]

Here is a picture of a similar sandal found at Mainz:
[attachment=0:1dnif96p]<!-- ia0 soleaMainz.jpg<!-- ia0 [/attachment:1dnif96p]

and yet another similar sandal from Judea:
[attachment=1:1dnif96p]<!-- ia1 soleaJudea.jpg<!-- ia1 [/attachment:1dnif96p]

I'm asking about the method of attaching the straps to the soles. There has to be an attachment of the strap adjacent to the big toe, but I would think that the holes would not go all the way through the sole. The little cutouts along the edge are evidence for the thong that holds the layers of the sole together.

This design differs from the sandal shown on the front cover of Roman Military Clothing 1 in that the perpendicular strap goes in front of the ankle.

[M. Demetrius]

I can't say for sure how they did it. The way we do it works, however, and is fairly comfortable between the toes once you get used to it, and if the leather is soft. we just cut two slits, and using a hook or a pair of needlenosed pliers, pull the thong through the two slits and send it up.

We also added a heel loop like on the sides, because it proved really uncomfortable to have just a leather string there. Reason being, to get it tight enough to keep the shoe from slipping around, it put more pressure on the Achilles tendon than we liked. Once a loop was installed there, just like the ones on the sides, and the "lace" installed through it, you hardly even notice you're wearing them. Very comfortable.

On one pair, I concealed a Dr. Scholl's soft plastic insole between the insole and the midsole. Shh. Don't tell 'em I'm gellin.

[Neuraleanus]

Here is what I've come up with:[attachment=0:1r6itgtg]<!-- ia0 MaryssoleaeSmall.jpg<!-- ia0 [/attachment:1r6itgtg]

I admit I made a lot of guesses on the construction, they're based upon what is shown in the Pompeii fresco.

[M. Demetrius]

Those look nice, Lee. Does that red leather stain the feet? Is the leather string long enough to go back around the Achilles tendon? We make ours that way, and tie in the front of the ankle. (we also add a heel strap, because the ones we've made tend to slip back on the foot, necessitating having to adjust the shoe too frequently. Maybe there's some other reason for that, but we just add that for function)

When I get my pair made, I'll put up a picture for explanation. That project is floating up to the top of the amorphous to-do list.

[Neuraleanus]

Does that red leather stain the feet? Is the leather string long enough to go back around the Achilles tendon? We make ours that way, and tie in the front of the ankle. (we also add a heel strap, because the ones we've made tend to slip back on the foot, necessitating having to adjust the shoe too frequently

We'll see about the red coming off once we test these at an event. I used alcohol based dye. No the leather toe strap does not go around the Achilles tendon, rather it passes through the holes of the side straps twice, keeping the side straps together and tight about the foot, and ties in front of the ankle. There is also a heel strap.