# Caligae

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Ancient Roman military boot

For the Latin Rite liturgical garment, see [Liturgical stockings](/source/Liturgical_stockings).

Not to be confused with the Roman Emperor [Caligula](/source/Caligula).

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A reproduction of a Roman *caliga*

From below, showing [hobnails](/source/Hobnail)

***Caligae*** ([Latin](/source/Latin); sing.: *caliga*) are heavy-soled [hobnailed](/source/Hobnail) military [sandal](/source/Sandal)-[boots](/source/Boot) that were worn as standard issue by [Roman](/source/Roman_army) [legionary](/source/Roman_legion) foot-soldiers and [auxiliaries](/source/Auxilia), including [cavalry](/source/Roman_cavalry).

## History

An original *caliga* found at [Qasr Ibrim](/source/Qasr_Ibrim), [Egypt](/source/Egypt), c. 1st century BC – 1st century AD

*Caligae* (sing.: *caliga*) are heavy-duty, thick-soled [openwork](/source/Openwork) boots, with [hobnailed](/source/Hobnail) soles. They were worn by the lower ranks of Roman cavalrymen and foot-soldiers, and possibly by some centurions.[1] A durable association of *caligae* with the common soldiery is evident in the latter's description as *caligati* ("booted ones").[2]

In the early 1st century AD, the soldiery affectionately nicknamed the two- or three-year-old [Gaius](/source/Caligula) "*caligula*" ("little boot"), because he wore a diminutive soldier's outfit, complete with small *caligae*.[3][4]

Occasionally, hobnailed *caligae* must have proved inconvenient, especially on hard surfaces; [Josephus](/source/Josephus) describes the killing of a *caliga*-shod Roman centurion who had slipped on the [Temple of Jerusalem](/source/Second_Temple)'s marble floor during an attack.[1] Nevertheless, the design of the *caliga* allowed for its adjustment, which would have helped reduce chafing; it probably made an "ideal marching boot",[5] and "the thunderous sound of an attack by a hobnailed army (*caligati*) must have been terrifying".[2] Indeed, the [Tannaim](/source/Tannaim) (Jewish sages or [Chazal](/source/Chazal)) of [Roman Judea](/source/Judaea_(Roman_province)) limited their community's use of *caligae* in response to an instance when many Jews in hiding had misinterpreted their sound as that of approaching Romans and were killed in the resultant stampede (see Babylonian [Talmud](/source/Talmud), Shabbat 60a).

*Caligae* would have been cooler on the march than enclosed boots. In warm, [Mediterranean climates](/source/Mediterranean_climate), this may have been an advantage. In northern Britain's cold, wet climate, additional woven socks or raw wool wadding in winter may have helped insulate the feet, but *caligae* seemed to have been abandoned there by the end of the 2nd century AD, in favour of civilian-style "closed boots" (*[carbatinae](/source/Carbatina)*).[5] By the late 4th century, this seems to have applied throughout the Empire. The emperor [Diocletian](/source/Diocletian)'s [Edict on Maximum Prices](/source/Edict_on_Maximum_Prices) (301) includes set prices for footwear described as *caligae*, but with no hobnails, made for civilian men, women and children.[2]

## Design and manufacture

The caliga's [midsole](/source/Midsole) and the [openwork](/source/Openwork) upper were cut from a single piece of high quality cow or ox-hide. An [outsole](/source/Outsole) was fastened to the mid-sole, using clinching [hobnails](/source/Hobnail), usually of iron but occasionally bronze. The turned-back clinching [nail](/source/Nail_(fastener)) ends were covered by an [insole](/source/Insole). Like all Roman footwear, the *caliga* was flat-soled. It was laced up the center of the foot and onto the top of the ankle. The Spanish scholar [Isidore of Seville](/source/Isidore_of_Seville) believed that the name "*caliga*" derived from the Latin *callus* ("hard leather"), or else from the fact that the boot was laced or tied on (*ligere*). Strapwork styles varied from maker to maker and region to region. The placement of hobnails is less variable; they were positioned to give optimal grip and foot-support, much like a modern sports shoe. At least one provincial manufacturer of army *caligae* has been identified by name.[2]

## See also

- [List of shoe styles](/source/List_of_shoe_styles)

- [Calceus](/source/Calceus)

- [Soccus](/source/Soccus)

- [Roman roads](/source/Roman_roads)

- [Ho Chi Minh sandals](/source/Ho_Chi_Minh_sandals)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Gilliam1946_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Gilliam1946_1-1) Gilliam, J. F. (1946). "Milites Caligati". *Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association*. **77**: 183–191. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/283455](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F283455). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [283455](https://www.jstor.org/stable/283455).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Goldman1994_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Goldman1994_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Goldman1994_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Goldman1994_2-3) Goldman, Norma (1994). ["Roman footwear"](https://books.google.com/books?id=GxGPLju4KEkC&pg=PA101). In Sebesta, Judith Lynn; [Bonfante, Larissa](/source/Larissa_Bonfante) (eds.). *The World of Roman Costume*. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 101–129. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-299-13854-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-299-13854-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Suetonius, *The Lives of Twelve Caesars*, Life of Caligula 9.](https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Caligula*.html#9)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Malloch, S J V (2009). "Gaius' Persecution of the nobiles. A Study in the Politics of Memory and Nomenclature". *Athenaeum*. **97** (2): 489–506. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [506184150](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/506184150).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-van_Driel-Murray_2001_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-van_Driel-Murray_2001_5-1) van Driel-Murray, Carol (2001). "Vindolanda and the Dating of Roman Footwear". *Britannia*. **32**: 185–197. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/526955](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F526955). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [526955](https://www.jstor.org/stable/526955). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [19681218](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19681218). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [39749356](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:39749356).

## External links

- [Making Authentic Caligae](https://web.archive.org/web/20150623220048/http://www.legiotricesima.org/campusMartis/MakingCaligae/MakingAuthenticCaligae.html) at Legio Tricesima.org

- [Image of Caligae](https://web.archive.org/web/20120617035334/http://s2.hubimg.com/u/345765_f520.jpg)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Caligae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligae) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligae?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.