Sandals and sex

Few things are more Australian than the humble thong but the origins of this Aussie icon are many thousands of years old. There is much evidence that a thong type foot covering was one of the first things made by our primitive ancestors. Among the relics of early Egyptians are some sandals made from plaited papyrus leaves, beautifully and artistically wrought. However the necessity to protect their feet from rough ground was not the only reason for shoes. Footwear styles and designs often depicted the rank or status of the wearer and were conspicuous statements. The difference between the commoner's sandal and the Pharaoh's sandal for example was a peaked toe. This ostentatious extension had no function but merely denoted a person of high born status (1200 BC). In Homer's time (1000-700BC), the Krepis, or soldier's shoe (a sandal with attitude) was a thong with ankle strapping. There was also a lady's Krepis which was a brightly coloured version of the anklet sandal. The carved tongue or lingula, was the indication of a free person or citizen (the tongue or free spirit). Bearing in mind this was the time when slaves went with bare feet. The thong or toe strap was distinctive and depending on which toe was involved was representative of the different civilisations. The Greeks made use of the great toe, the Romans, the second digit and the Mesapotanians, the third toe. The Greeks emphasised design and beauty, while the Romans devised a military thong enabling their legions to travel the empire on foot. Probably the most famous thong was worn by Mercury, fabled messenger of the gods. The winged thongs were called Talaria Crepida. Leather Buskins (bushkin hyroglyph is read as "Ush", the mother) were introduced in Roman Times and were worn by the tragic actors. In the more luxurious days of the late Roman Empire, thongs were decorated with gold and precious stones. Throughout development, comparatively little attention has been paid to fitting qualities or comfort. Although some of the early sandals displayed definite pairs. Some sandals covered the whole foot and sometimes to the middle of the leg. All were fastened with thongs. The Greeks called them 'ypodemata' and the Romans had several names including’ caliga, campagus, solea, crepida, sandalium, gallica, baxea and sicyonia. Conventional wisdom prefers the term calcaeus was used to describe this range of footwear. Calceus were outside shoes and worn with a toga. The caliga was a military sandal with a large sole fastened by thongs to above the ankle. Caligae were strengthened by nails (clavus) and worn by common soldiers. The campagus was worn by Roman emperors and generals. The ligatures were more closely woven than the caliga and bore a greater network to net-work. The style of shoe was also known to the Greeks. Archaeologists are aware other styles of sandals existed through the translations of writing and statues and paintings but absence of actual remnants has made it difficult to differentiate between the solea, the crepida, the sandalium, and the gallica. The social custom for me was solea were not to be worn with togas. Men wearing solea and togas outside were considered effeminate. The association with sexuality and sandals dates form antiquity and even today sandals are considered by many experts to be the sexiest of all shoes. It should be no surprise therefore to find our all Australian males sporting the sexy thongs. But at what stage in history did thongs get connected to Australia? There was an Aboriginal sandal described two hundred years ago and worn only by some central Australian tribes. The sandal provided much protection from the hot ground and had no symbolic significance unlike the ceremonial shoes worn by some seniors. Most early European Australians were barefooted and only the privileged wore shoes. The thong we all love so well were actually introduced to Australians as late as 1956, and the Melbourne Olympics. The Japanese swimming team wore exercise sandals to and from the competition pool, this took the attention of the media and soon the demand for similar footwear was evident. The ancient bathhouse thong became the footwear of choice for all stylish Australians. Today thongs are often maligned and dismissed as inadequate footgear. Truth is, provided they fit the feet and are worn for normal sedentary activities then, these are no worse than any other shoes for the vast majority of wearers. Sandals do not support the foot and can prove hazardous during accelerated activities such as running and twisting.

Reference
Strutt J 1970 The dress and habits of the people of England Volume I London: Reword Press Ltd.