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Persian Shoes
#1
Another two toggle/latchet shoe/boots similar to the more complete examples found at Luxor, these though are much older finds with no real provenance:

On this one the turn shoe construction and toggle latchets are clearly visible, 19th century find said to be Egypt, man's size:

   
https://collections.mfa.org/objects/1351...fe2&idx=34

The second shoe which does not appear to be a turn shoe also appears to have multiple toggles (or these are from another shoe) is much less complete, and appears to be made in a similar way to the "persian" shoes from Elephantine dated to the Archaemenid era. Possibly a childs shoe.

Note: Repairs and alterations to a pair of the Luxor shoes appear to have been carried out using the same external sole to upper lacing technique.

   
https://collections.mfa.org/objects/1351...fe2&idx=35

Ref: Ptolemaic Footwear from the Amenhotep II Temple at Luxor, André J. Veldmeijer.

note: you need to join JSTOR to read this article for free.
Ivor

"And the four bare walls stand on the seashore. a wreck a skeleton a monument of that instability and vicissitude to which all things human are subject. Not a dwelling within sight, and the farm labourer, and curious traveller, are the only persons that ever visit the scene where once so many thousands were congregated." T.Lewin 1867
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#2
Interesting! Any idea on how the sole is attached on the first one (seems to be a separate sole)? Oh, and is that fabric part of the find?
Joona Vuoristo
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#3
(08-01-2019, 07:42 PM)Euparkeria Wrote: Interesting! Any idea on how the sole is attached on the first one (seems to be a separate sole)? Oh, and is that fabric part of the find?

Sorry I missed your reply for some reason, the first appears to be a turnshoe construction (made inside out probably on a last) though its not that clear in the photes the stitching is there, the upper on the toe having torn away on the line of the upper stitching, the cloth doesn't look original and is likely just a filler something to stuff the shoe with.

This could be made exactly like any other turnshoe but with addition of a rand, in this case a folded piece of leather between the seam, originally it may have looked like this externally exactly like some of the Luxor shoes do:

   

It looks like an additional sole has been added probably by tunnel stitching, most likely a sole repair.
I've not seen any report on this shoe this is my impression based on the photo.(see the Luxor article for further construction details).

Edit added in additional pics of Luxor shoes for clarity:

Luxor shoes as originally bundled:
Source: Footwear in Ancient Egypt, The Medelhavsmuseet Collection 2014, André J. Veldmeijer.
   

Artists interpretation Luxor shoes:
Source: Footwear in Ancient Egypt, The Medelhavsmuseet Collection 2014, André J. Veldmeijer.
   

Seam construction luxor shoes:
Source: Ptolemaic footware from the Amenhotep II Temple at Luxor, André J. Veldmeijer.
   


For a comparison with the the second shoe see the Persian finds in this book, can be read online for free or buy the ebook:

https://www.sidestone.com/books/leatherw...swan-egypt
Ivor

"And the four bare walls stand on the seashore. a wreck a skeleton a monument of that instability and vicissitude to which all things human are subject. Not a dwelling within sight, and the farm labourer, and curious traveller, are the only persons that ever visit the scene where once so many thousands were congregated." T.Lewin 1867
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#4
Thanks, appreciate the info!  Smile
Joona Vuoristo
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#5
(08-04-2019, 11:44 AM)Euparkeria Wrote: Thanks, appreciate the info!  Smile
 
Your Welcome.

So now the Art evidence:

This pic is taken from "Die Fussbekleidung der Alten Mesopotamier" by Armas Salonen 1969, which is quite probarbly the only significant work dealing exclusively with the subject at least that I'm able to find, it mostly deals with ancient texts and art you wont find much in the way of actual leatherwork in this book, largely because such leatherwork is very rare (I'm being conservative here) from Mesopotamia. However it does contain much usefull information particularly when combined with the large number of Egyptian finds published by André J. Veldmeijer et al in recent years, which is likely to expand on the amount of knowledge of the subject enormously as some of the more ancient Egyptian shoes are very similar indeed.

However this thread is about Persian shoes specifically and the pic in question is a basic interpretation of shoes from various images of "Immortals" or "Warriors" of the Achaemenid Empire.

   

A detailed pic of Shoes from Persepolis:

   
Ivor

"And the four bare walls stand on the seashore. a wreck a skeleton a monument of that instability and vicissitude to which all things human are subject. Not a dwelling within sight, and the farm labourer, and curious traveller, are the only persons that ever visit the scene where once so many thousands were congregated." T.Lewin 1867
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#6
Hello Ivor, thanks very much for bringing this to our attention. How would you say the second shoe is constructed, if it's not a turnshoe?
Dan D'Silva

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I ride the winds of fate
Prepared to go where my heart belongs,
Back to the past again.

--  Gamma Ray

Well, I'm tough, rough, ready and I'm able
To pick myself up from under this table...

--  Thin Lizzy

Join the Horde! - http://xerxesmillion.blogspot.com/
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#7
Very interesting Ivor! Thanks for posting the information.

Qui sepeliunt capita sua in terra, deos volantes non videbunt.
--Flavius Flav 
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#8
Check out the construction of the "persian" shoes in "Leatherwork from Elephantine"(you can read it for free) if you havn't got this book I would suggest at least getting the PDF as its usefull and only €9.95, see page 104 on for the lacing construction of which there are a few variants but generally this is it:

   

In effect your putting in diagonal slots VVVVVVV in the leather to take the lace, these slots are made as you need them not all first but a few at a time.
Open each new cut slot up as you go with a blunt spike and feed the thin cut end of the thong through and pull tight, being carefull not to break them though its a easy to repair a break or add another thong in.
I dont think these shoes would be made on a last but most likely held together with some tacking.
It is in effect a method similar to lacing the layers of Roman sandals together and other parts of roman shoes including Caligae probably other leatherwork too, but clearly much more ancient

There is also a complete example of this type in "Catalogue des Chaussures de l'Antiquite Egyptian" page 193, No 123 this appears to be the same as the shoes from Elephantine and using the same lacing method, provenance: none given, date: Ptolemaic (likely an estimate).

   

   

Neither this or the turnshoe technique is a normal egyptian method at the dates in question, its possible that the toggles associated with it are from another shoe entirely, and that this is another example similar to the shoes found at Elephantine, however some of those shoes also have toggles but in a different  type of closure.

In anycase one of the pairs of luxor shoes is also repaired in a similar fashion to the Elephantine shoes and had been completely altered from its original turn shoe constructon, although remains of it were still visible.

The Luxor shoes themselves are attributed to the Ptolemaic Era but my guess would be that this is flexible particularly considering the similarity's with the shoes from Persepolis.
Ivor

"And the four bare walls stand on the seashore. a wreck a skeleton a monument of that instability and vicissitude to which all things human are subject. Not a dwelling within sight, and the farm labourer, and curious traveller, are the only persons that ever visit the scene where once so many thousands were congregated." T.Lewin 1867
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#9
So moving on, André J. Veldmeijer, mentions in his article on the Luxor toggle boots another pair of shoes from the Pyramid of Pepy I, initially the dating was roman but there seems to be no basis in fact as all the features ascribed to as Roman also occur earlier.

There is some suggestion in "Une occupante inattendue de la pyramide du roi Pépy Ier" that these are turnshoes as well though its not clear (at least to me ) and the original author should have been able to tell this if so, as there are large pieces missing from the upper making it possible to see inside the shoe and see the seams.

As the pictures are not good enough (there are no construction drawings) to determine either way, my personal view is that this is a turn shoe with a new sole added, the method of which has largely hidden the external clues to its construction, and that the final sole was first laced in place and then the edge whip stitched to the original sole/upper seam region possibly to a rand.

An attempted translation of the french using an online translator, I've adjusted this in some cases to make the meaning clearer using the shoes themselves as a basis, though its by no means perfect, some parts have been omitted:

* My Comments

"Next to the purse was a pair of red leather adult soft shoes.
Both feet have a length of 23 cm and a width of 9 cm, a size of 34 points of Paris.
Apart from a few leather fragments missing on the top of the shoes, the pair is complete.
No deformation was detected; usage wear seems to be zero.
The sole is made of two layers of leather joined by a link (*seam?) which seems the usual technique in Roman times.
(* it depends on what the actual meaning is two layers or two pieces)

The top of the shoe consists of a main piece of red leather.
Along the mid-axis of the upper (*vamp), a piece of leather, 7 mm wide, purple color, reinforces the top of the shoe (18). It is fixed by two seams(* what looks like straight stitch ?).
The top of the shoe and the sole are joined by a stitched seam (*turnshoe? depends on which is being refered to it looks to me like there are two seams visible 19)

The opening is bordered by an upturned edge of red leather, stitched to the edge of the upper.
A red leather tongue has been attached.
At the level of the instep, another piece of leather forming the buttress, of violet color,
was secured by an overlock stitch (*a violet reinforcing patch has been added by whip stitching).

A quarter of 12 cm height encloses the ankle. On each side, two eyelets arranged one above the other were reinforced
by a stitched leather pad. They leave the passage for a lace of 29 cm of length.
One of the strands of the lace of the left shoe bears the mark of a repair(20). In fact, because it was too short, a leather lace of the same thickness was added to it.

Finally, three unreinforced eyelets allow to attach the shoe on the dorsal region of the foot.(*? not visible or at least I cant see them)

18 This type of sewing has been found in
leather traces updated to Mons Claudianus,
S. WINTERBOTTOM, BIFAO 90, 1990, p. 79, FIG. 7, No. 7,
No. 9-10.

19 According to Philippe Atienza, the regularity of the sewing shows that
the shoe has been sewn upside down using a two or three strand braided
linen thread.
(*? perhaps inside out is meant here or literally the shoe was held
upside down whilst the final sole was stitched on, though I think this is wrong)

20 The end of the lace in place received an incision in its length. It was the same
for one end of the thong that we wanted to add.
He just had to pass each of the incision-free ends into one of the incisions.
Pulling on the free end allowed to get a lace of the right size.
This addition is the very act of a professional; the demonstration was made to me in
the workshop of the cobbler-masters of Hermès.
(*this is basic knowledge for anyone wanting to lengthen a lace so not necesarily a sign of a professional)

In the twentieth dynasty, there seems to be a model called "high leather shoes".
Such a pair intended especially for women and children could be bought for two deben.

(*Paragraph ommited)

However the date of the third-fourth century (*AD ) can be proposed, because the assembly of the sole to the upper of the shoe is quite particular. In addition, tabs, quarters, laces and buttresses at the instep appear to be late-dated."

   

   

   

   

Feel free to comment...
Ivor

"And the four bare walls stand on the seashore. a wreck a skeleton a monument of that instability and vicissitude to which all things human are subject. Not a dwelling within sight, and the farm labourer, and curious traveller, are the only persons that ever visit the scene where once so many thousands were congregated." T.Lewin 1867
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