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Tim Mathews
Location: St Paul MN Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Posts: 172
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 Posted: Tue 17 Jun, 2014 9:01 pm Post subject: Roman Caligae ... Help |
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Greetings all ,
I have been searching for a quality maker of Roman Caligae for the last few weeks ... The best option I could find was a outfit tin Checkoslovakia but with shipping I am looking at 350.00 bucks which I cannot bring myself to do ... I have large feet(14D)and I want a pair WITHOUT hobnails ... Any guidance from this august group will be greatly appreciated.
Vale
Tim
Tim Mathews
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Aaron Harris
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| Posted: Wed 18 Jun, 2014 12:22 am Post subject: |
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hi there, why do are you choosing a pair without hob nails?
i purchased mine form battle merchant in germany. i live in new zealand. i paid last year $135 delivered. i wear a UK size 12 normally but i found that i could have ordered at least one or two sizes smaller. here is the link
http://www.battlemerchant.com/Footwear/Roman-...:2426.html
PS. im sure if they dont have your size they could order it in for you
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Matthew Amt
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| Posted: Wed 18 Jun, 2014 5:16 am Post subject: |
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Try Paul Royce at PAR Fabrica:
http://www.parfabrica.com/PAR_Fabrica/About.html
I've generally heard good things about him. Even caligae that you make yourself can end up rubbing in some spot, often fixed by maybe trimming some leather, or oiling and working the heck out of it to soften it up, or covering with fabric, etc.
I don't really recommend Deepeeka caligae (made in India), they just don't look good. And I don't think you can get them without hobnails. (Lousy nails, as well...)
Daniyal's are better, but again I'm not sure if you can get them without nails.
Good luck!
Matthew
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Tim Mathews
Location: St Paul MN Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Posts: 172
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| Posted: Wed 18 Jun, 2014 5:34 am Post subject: Caligae |
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Gentlemen
Thanks for your replies ...I have a pair with hobnails and they tear up the floors ... The guy that made them for me is no longer in business ,,, I will take a look at the sites you suggest .
Thanks again.
Tim
Tim Mathews
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Raman A
Location: United States Joined: 25 Aug 2011
Posts: 148
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| Posted: Wed 18 Jun, 2014 5:44 am Post subject: |
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I thought all caligae were hobnailed? Why don't you get a nice pair of Roman sandals to go with them, for indoor use? That's what the Romans themselves did.
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Jeffrey Faulk
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| Posted: Wed 18 Jun, 2014 7:26 am Post subject: |
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| Raman A wrote: | | I thought all caligae were hobnailed? Why don't you get a nice pair of Roman sandals to go with them, for indoor use? That's what the Romans themselves did. |
If he is, as I surmise, a re-enactor of the Roman military, he may be subscribing to one of the universal maxims of any military-- if you can reduce the weight you carry, do it. Therefore, as light as a second pair of sandals might be, he might not want to tuck them away in his pack :P Add to that the inconvenience of having to dig through his things to hunt up the sandals whenever he goes indoors. Things like that 
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Mark Griffin
Location: The Welsh Marches, in the hills above Newtown, Powys. Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 802
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| Posted: Wed 18 Jun, 2014 7:30 am Post subject: |
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www.armamentaria.com
Sarah Juniper is also regarded very highly for them but they be a lot more than 300 bucks.
Currently working on projects ranging from Elizabethan pageants to a WW1 Tank, Victorian fairgrounds 1066 events and more. Oh and we joust loads!.. We run over 250 events for English Heritage each year plus many others for Historic Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland, the National Trust and more. If you live in the UK and are interested in working for us just drop us a line with a cv.
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Raman A
Location: United States Joined: 25 Aug 2011
Posts: 148
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| Posted: Wed 18 Jun, 2014 10:49 am Post subject: |
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| Jeffrey Faulk wrote: | | Raman A wrote: | | I thought all caligae were hobnailed? Why don't you get a nice pair of Roman sandals to go with them, for indoor use? That's what the Romans themselves did. |
If he is, as I surmise, a re-enactor of the Roman military, he may be subscribing to one of the universal maxims of any military-- if you can reduce the weight you carry, do it. Therefore, as light as a second pair of sandals might be, he might not want to tuck them away in his pack :P Add to that the inconvenience of having to dig through his things to hunt up the sandals whenever he goes indoors. Things like that |
But it's historical inconvenience!
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Matthew Amt
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| Posted: Wed 18 Jun, 2014 10:53 am Post subject: |
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| Jeffrey Faulk wrote: | | ...he may be subscribing to one of the universal maxims of any military-- if you can reduce the weight you carry, do it.. |
Nah, there's nothing to suggest that Roman soldiers ever considered hobnails to be "excess weight". Since most Roman outdoor shoes were hobnailed, military caligae would not have been unusual at all.
Un-nailed caligae are simply a convenience to reenactors who either don't want to damage nice floors (lest they end up sleeping on the couch), nor slip on smooth floors (lest they fall upon their keesters). In the latter case, you wear the stitched shoes and hand the nailed ones to the visitors to look at. Very handy.
Though I will say that I just keep a pair of un-nailed carbatinae handy to wear on dangerous floors. That way I can display 2 different kinds of shoes, rather than wear the same style as what I'm passing around to the visitors.
Matthew
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Tim Mathews
Location: St Paul MN Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Posts: 172
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| Posted: Wed 18 Jun, 2014 6:22 pm Post subject: Caligae without Hobnails |
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Greetings all,
I reached out to Par Fabrica and have ordered a pair from them ... I have a pair with Hobnails that are great but tear floors , patios and decks to shreds.
Thanks again for your replies and insights.
Best
Tim
Tim Mathews
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Tim Mathews
Location: St Paul MN Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Posts: 172
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| Posted: Sun 22 Jun, 2014 5:35 am Post subject: Par Fabrica |
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Hello again,
To close the loop - Turns out Paul Royce was the gentleman I purchased my original pair from ... I was the last customer he provided caligae for before exiting the business ... He even had the foot tracings I had sent him ! I love the first pair- very comfortable and well made .
I am excited to be purchasing the second pair that I will be able to wear more frequently.
Thanks again for your feedback.
Tim
Tim Mathews
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This is a standard topic