Knife blades in Sandals?

[Pointer]

I was in a conversation the other day with a friend that stated that Roman SOldiers had knife blade points in their sandals... I have not come across this in any of my research.

Is there any historical accuracy in that statement?
If so... what years did they have them?

Is there anywhere that I can verify that? i"d like to know more or look at pictures if you have links.

THanks Patrick

[agrimensor]

He did not think the sharp hobnails as knifeblades??

[M. Val. Naso]

I don't think your friend gets his information from reliable sources. Protip: video games are not reliable


Also, they couldn't have nailed the soles with a blade in it. And I think also that the caliga/calceus isn't really suited for kicking. My calcei is quite tight, it fits my feet very well, I would just shatter my toe if I tried kicking with a blade pointing out.

[Kegluneq]

Blades in the shoe wouldn't just make for impractical footwear, they'd also be impractical in combat, as thrusting the foot forwards leaves you out of balance. It would be even worse if the blade got stuck in whatever you were kicking.

Modern military close combat manuals usually tell soldiers to stamp rather than kick, ideally dragging the edge of the sole down the shin - done with enough force, with sufficiently sturdy footwear, this could break the foot as well. Hobnails themselves are pretty nasty.

[Pointer]

THank you everyone... I didn't think it was possible either. But thought I should check. Yes I agree Hobnails could do some serious damage... wouldn't want to have them come across my shins. I have read other people's works on ROman armor and find that they don't really research. I was not able to find anything of the sort.

Thanks!

[Alanus]

I think the Draconians wore knife-blades in their sandals, and so did the Vulcans. Not too sure about the Marsians.

[agrimensor]

Alan, don't forget the Venusians, but only on the left foot :lol:

[Alanus]

Oh, yes. The Venusians! How could I have forgotten? :whistle:

[Crispvs]

Just a thought - your friend couldn't have been talking about the rear of the boot could he? I seem to recall reading about a caliga which had been found with a spur built into it, thus removing the need for separate spurs. Your friend couldn't have seen a reconstruction of this boot and mistaken the spur for a knife blade by any chance?

Crispvs

[Pointer]

Crispvs... No... he was definite about the blades being in the toe of the sandal. Not sure where he got the idea from but he was serious. Thank you for everyone's input... as funny as some of them were. He may have been confused with Get Smart and the Shoe phone...

[Alanus]

As I recall, another fantasy "blade in the toe" trick was accomplished by the Bad Lady in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Maybe your friend was watching this movie and thought it was ancient Rome. :lol:

[M. Demetrius]

One of the older James Bond movies had a hotel maid with a poison blade in her shoe. That may have been a hotel in Rome? That would make a blade shoe, er, Roman, wouldn't it? illy:

[john m roberts]

That was Lotte Lenya (Mrs. Kurt Weill) as Rosa Klebb, the ultimate Bond baddie and the only ugly woman ever cast in a Bond film. She also slugged Robert Shaw in the gut with a set of brass knucks and, when he remained on his feet, pronounced him "fit enough." Fittingly, her husband wrote the song "Mack the Knife."

[Alanus]

Evidently semi-psudo knife toe-blades were a female thing. What we need is a Hollywood-Roman movie where the bad Crouching Tiger lady fights Lotte Lenya to the death in the Arena. :woot:

[Titus Thurinus]

It amazes me often the things people will profess as gospel while sounding like morons to those with actual knowledge. I was in a conversation with a self professed "expert of roman archaeology and consultant of some of the foremost Roman historians" last week. I "learned from him that it was in fact Julius Caesar who defeated Hannibal AND SCIPIO AFRICANUS!!!!!

I had no idea.....

Needless to say, I am thrilled to find so great an expert that lives so close to me. I will never need to read a book again.