Ancient Roman woman's shoe -- show footwear on coins!

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Roman Collector, Apr 8, 2019.

  1. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Hmmm... I wonder what the "crossbar" protrusions on Alexandria's legs are here, on the left, as she hands the corn dole to Hadrian. Looks like they could be the tops of some kind of boot?

    [​IMG]
     
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  3. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    This had me go to my archives to check my own old (now sadly bygone) ATG tet.

    Zeus seems to have some kind of footwear on, but it's not terribly clear.

    [​IMG]
     
  4. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    HorseSHOES:

    With all the racing Bigas, Trigas, and Quadrigas featured on Republic coins, they probably had shoes on their hooves to protect the owner's valuable investment!

    Bronze Horseshoes were found in Etrurian tombs, from back in the late 5th Century BCE...

    upload_2019-4-10_7-45-0.png
    RR AR Denarius L Antestius Gragulus 136 BCE Rome mint Roma Jupiter quadriga tbolt Cr 238-1 Syd 451


    upload_2019-4-10_7-45-41.png
    RR 234-231 BCE AR Heavy Denarius - Didrachm Apollo-Horse prancing Crawford 26-1 Sear 28
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2019
  5. lordmarcovan

    lordmarcovan Eclectic & Eccentric Moderator

    Aw, forget about shoes for a moment. I was just caught up in admiring the design of that didrachm in general. Lovely coin.
     
    Alegandron likes this.
  6. Carausius

    Carausius Brother, can you spare a sestertius?

    The dangly things are decorative, and had been around a while. They are shown on the boots of the Dioscuri on Republican denarii minted several hundred years before your tetradrachm. I'd share a few examples, but I'm having difficulty uploading images in my current location. I seem to recall a previous thread where we discussed the danglies in detail.
     
    lordmarcovan, TIF and tenbobbit like this.
  7. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Thank you.

    I chuckle about these ROMAN coins being called DiDrachmae by modern numismatists. I really enjoyed Kennith Harl's book on the Roman Economy... he stated that, since the coin was tarriffed at 10 Asses, and Denarius is a derivative of Latin word TEN, then the Romans would had probably called these coins a DENARIUS... They were much heavier than the than the post-reform Denarii of 211 BCE. Ergo, Harl dubbed these as "Heavy Denarius". Kinda rethinking through the eyes of the people that ISSUED the coins, rather than what we PERCEIVE them today. :)

    This horse is shy, not wanting to show his shoes:

    RR Anon AR Heavy Denarius -  Didrachm 275-270 BCE ROMANO Apollo-Galloping Horse Obv-Rev Sear23.jpg
    RR Anon AR Heavy Denarius - Didrachm 275-270 BCE ROMANO Apollo-Galloping Horse Sear23
     
  8. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

  9. Bing

    Bing Illegitimi non carborundum Supporter

    Nice examples @Cucumbor
     
  10. TypeCoin971793

    TypeCoin971793 Just a random guy on the internet

    That shoe is remarkably well-preserved! I also find it fascinating that its style would not look out of place today!
     
  11. Orange Julius

    Orange Julius Well-Known Member

    89595F83-BE59-47D8-B316-7B5FB8ADACF5.gif
     
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  12. Pellinore

    Pellinore Well-Known Member

    Obviously, the Greeks invented animal slippers.

    Dog slippers.jpg
     
  13. akeady

    akeady Well-Known Member

    This one we've had already - sandals on Cr. 384/1 denarius.

    [​IMG]

    This is a very old and miserable photo' which I need to re-take. Hermes is tying his sandal on the reverse, behind Athena. Leucas stater, SNG Cop. 347.

    [​IMG]

    ATB,
    Aidan.
     
  14. octavius

    octavius Well-Known Member

    Wow , very stylish! Where do I get a pair?
     
  15. TypeCoin971793

    TypeCoin971793 Just a random guy on the internet

    Time travelers. The only possible explanation.

    E4B99388-6D1E-4CD3-97B6-574DCEB5013A.jpeg
     
  16. Jochen1

    Jochen1 Well-Known Member

    I have followed this interesting thread with attention. And so I would like to make a contribution here.

    Often one sees that from the boots conspicuous tassels fall down. I have here 2 examples:
    (1) Valens, RIC IX, (Constantinopolis) 25 (b) and
    valens_const_25(b).JPG

    (2) Vetranio, VIII, (Siscia) 274
    vetranio_siscia_274.JPG
    This footwear is the so-called mulleus, in which a cat-like animal scalp is attached frontally to the upper edge of the leg, while the paws hang down from the sides. They are iconographically connected with gods, heroes and of course with the emperor himself.

    Literature: Cf. H. R. Goette, Mulleus Embas Calceus. Iconographic Studies on Roman Footwear, JdI 103, 1988, 401-464

    Jochen
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 11, 2019
  17. randygeki

    randygeki Coin Collector

  18. Jochen1

    Jochen1 Well-Known Member

    @randygeki
    The boots with the tassels prove that it is not a simple soldier who leads the "barbarian" out of the hut, but a general or the emperor himself.
     
  19. John Anthony

    John Anthony Ultracrepidarian

    Here is Hermes wearing his winged boots on a bronze of Korykos...

    korykos 600.jpg
     
  20. dougsmit

    dougsmit Member

    Others have shown oots of this type so all I have to add is a bigger photo. Magnentius, Rome mint AE2
    rx7117boots2677.jpg
     
    Johndakerftw, Bing, Jochen1 and 2 others like this.
  21. Jochen1

    Jochen1 Well-Known Member

    Nice details!

    Jochen
     
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