Shoes everywhere?

[Magister Militum Titus Pullo]

The Psiloi and other skirmisher class troops, for sure, would walk unshod, but I would leave the main line infantry with their boots and sandles or whatever. In more temperate zones back in ancient times, footwear was generally viewed as either military equipment, or a luxury that rich people could afford. The likes of peasants and slaves would normally appear barefoot, which health-wise, wasn't such a bad thing for them. Unless they stepped on shit of course. People in antiquity were generally tougher and fitter than we are now. In this day and age, too many of us would never leave the house without our shoes, which in truth, is actually doing us more harm than good. Perhaps the time will come when walking barefoot outdoors will become commonplace again. Who knows?

[geala]

When I reread my last post, it could sound a bit insolent. It's not meant so.

What I mean with "self-explanatory" is, are there archaeological or written sources or is it a rule of thumb, like "no healthy human (even in Greece, Ireland or elsewhere where we have sources for bare feet ) would walk to a fight without protection for his feet"? That rule of thumb could not be disposed so easily despite my different opinion.


Edit: btw, on the weekend I gave my Karvatina shoe reconstructions a trial, hiking appr. 16 km. Although it was sunny and dry and the shoes fit me very well on some parts of the way I felt a bit uncomfortable because of the slippery leather soles. So I went barefoot half the way without great problems (and I'm not so very well trained). But the shoes were nice on the modern gravel paths.