Caligae Construction

[Martin Moser]

The caligae were cut out, a time consuming process, where they could more easily have left them uncut.

One reason may be that the more material you remove the easier it is to make the remaining slender strapwork adjust to your foot. A fully closed shoe is harder to make so that it fits the foot well. Openwork also of course makes sense in the hotter climates they come from.  Added to that is that caligae most likely stand in the tradition of Greek sandalsand tradition is often hard to overcome.