Shoes everywhere?

[geala]

One of the biggest problems of EB (please don't take me too seriously ) is obviously the fact that everybody except some Indian and Nubian troops wear shoes. I think a certain part of the ancient fighters went barefoot and I would like to see this.

For example we have some strong hints that Balearic slingers normally wear no shoes. For Greek warriors there is the debate of the interpretation of the pictural sources (a kind of offshoot of "heroic nudity"-discussion but with a different solution I think ); at least some Greeks may have fought barefoot but my database for the hellenistic time is small, I think more shoes are shown in the art than in classical times. For some northern and western parts of Europe going barefoot was common in later times, f.e. in Ireland or Pictish Scotland. I suppose this habit had a long tradition. Btw it was not a sign of poverty or imbecility but of cleverness.

So first free the Goedelic etc. units from their clumsy shoes and make them better fighters! Every reenactor having walked on grass (dry or even wet) with leather soles without nails hopefully will understand this wish.

[Watchman]

On the other hand, getting your feet wet and cold in the more northern winters is also a fairly good way to commit suicide. Why do you think everyone north of the Alps wore trousers ?

[Tiberius Nero]

The terrain of the Greek mainland is so rough that I cannot possibly imagine how people would go to battle bare footed there. Some kind of footware made of thick hide would be in order.

[-Praetor-]

The terrain of the Greek mainland is so rough that I cannot possibly imagine how people would go to battle bare footed there. Some kind of footware made of thick hide would be in order.

Actually, on greece, they did went barefooted to battle.

Not sure after Iphycrates though, since after him the hoplites wore boots.

PS: Try going barefooted for a week or two, you can stand on nails after that (exaggerating BTW, but something like that).

[Pharnakes]

Slightly off topic, I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but all Getai have big feet!

[Watchman]

Slightly off topic, I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but all Getai have big feet!

Even itchy dwarves need to have something big.

Anyway, if you're used to going barefoot it should be quite doable enough in the Mediterranean climate most of the year (as long as you stay away from the highlands of course), and even in Scandinavia during the warmer seasons. But even in the temperate European climate it's a big no during the cold and wet seasons, and I suspect the practise was not terribly popular in forested regions and similar rugged terrain already because of the sheer amount of brambly, pointy stuff littering the ground. Opened pine tree cones alone are rather painful to step on, I know that much from experience.

Also, there's enough of assorted little bloodsucking insects crawling around the bushes that most people ought to have preferred long trousers, thick socks and solid shoes or boots just to keep the little bastards off their skin.

[hoom]

Why do you think everyone north of the Alps wore trousers ?

... Yeah, like the Irish & Scots for example, both well renowned for trouser wearing

[Foot]

... Yeah, like the Irish & Scots for example, both well renowned for trouser wearing

Well we should certainly extrapolate our generalisations from that group. Compared to the mediterranean, northern europe is far colder and you will notice that they all wear trousers.

Foot

[Watchman]

... Yeah, like the Irish & Scots for example, both well renowned for trouser wearing

The long wraparound cloaks perform much the same role you know, much like long skirts do. And I bet they donned some kinds of warm leggings or socks for the colder months as well.

[Riadach]

deleted

[the_handsome_viking]

On the other hand, getting your feet wet and cold in the more northern winters is also a fairly good way to commit suicide. Why do you think everyone north of the Alps wore trousers ?

Because it was exciting?

[geala]

I just got back access to D. Heads book about the Armies of the Punic and Macedonian wars where I read earlier about the Balearians (who I gave as an example in my first post). He mentions Strabo as a source that no shoes were used before the Carthaginians appeared and that also the later statues show mostly barefoot Balearic warriors. Unfortunately I have no access to Strabo at the moment.

For the Greeks there are also some pictures from the early classical and the hellenistic times showing warriors with and without shoes which is for me a sign of a real habit.

For the Goidelic people of Ireland: I just tried the Arthurian TW mod where the gaelic troops are depicted (just my humble opinion ) a bit better in the aspect of this thread (but it is from 481 AD onwards so I'm not sure about the different habits of the times - sources for great difference?) I think some people from EB also work on this mod. As I can not do without the marvellous features of EB: is it possible to use sprites from another RTW mod in EB easily? I modded MTW troops a bit but in RTW I know nothing.


My final conclusion: I agree that it presumably would be too laborious to make some troops going bare-footed in EB, even if you would not totally dismiss my suit. Perhaps you can create a certain diversity in EB2, making some troops dedicated to it without shoes and even mix it in the same unit due to the abilities of the M2TW machine?

[Foot]

One of the biggest problems of EB (please don't take me too serious ) is obviously the fact that everybody except some Indian and Nubian troops wear shoes. I think a certain part of the ancient fighters went barefoot and I would like to see this.

Well lets see your evidence. We are not closed to new ideas, though our main focus at the moment is certainly on new units rather than on correcting old ones (which will most likely happen in the initial conversion to MTW2), but we do need evidence to support your claims.

Foot