Shoes in Roman time / Typology

Shoes in the Roman Times – Collective Information – Vers. 0.9 – www.vcrv.ch - Page
Calicae equestres
Shoes differentiated
Shoes differentiated in the Edict of Diocletian from the Calcei senatorii.
Calcei patricii
Boots for Roman nobles which had closed uppers and a long tongue (as described in the Edict of
Diocletian). They were hound to the leg with four thongs (corrigiae), two on each side attached
between the sole and the uppers, front and back. The thongs tied around the upper ankle and the
middle of the leg. Patricians wore the sole part in untanned leather and the four straps in black.
Calcei muliebres
Women wore boots like the men's, but made of thinner, softer, leather, in a bright variety of colors,
often in white, and decorated with precious stones and pearls. Sometimes, in place of straps, narrow
bands of coloured silk were used to tie on the boots.
Calceolus / Calceolii
A small shoe, or half boots, usually for women.
Calcei repandi
Pointed-toed shoes, curving upward at the toe, that were worn by Etruscans in the sixth century
B.C. These, in theory, were the model for the later Roman senatorial calcei with lacing and straps.
Cicero says that only statues of Juno Sospita continued to use the pointed-toe calcei repandi, but a
rounded-toe version may have been in use as late as the third century A.D.
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