The Roman Shoe Project: A Guest Speaker from Left Field

At the beginning of the school year, our school district asked all teachers and students to take a RIASEC assessment. I had never heard of RIASEC before. In case you haven't either, it's a personality test based on the work of mid-century psychologist John Holland who believed that people are happiest when they have jobs that align with their personalities. I was none too surprised that I tested as a SOCIAL person, one who enjoys helping others and teaching. If you want to see the other categories and their matched careers, you can look here. Because Louisiana graduation rates are some of the lowest in our country, our district likes its middle schools to introduce careers to our students whenever we can. I must admit, I didn't seriously think about what I wanted to be until I was in college. I wish I had met an archaeologist sooner. It may have changed my mind...

That's the idea behind my principal's push to get professionals in our classrooms whenever we can - get kids thinking. So when I asked my Facebook friends who work with leather if they would consider to talking to my students, I got an unexpected surprise. My former colleague's husband runs a wonderful business called "The Glove Doctor." Chad Chenevert repairs leather baseball and softball gloves! And he was SO gracious to visit with my students to talk about his work.

Did you know that leather gloves can last for the entire career of a player? Did you know that they can cost 100s of dollars? Here's one you probably knew, but I'm just so out of this loop that I didn't know. Gloves are specialized based on the position of the player! It makes total sense, but I really didn't know that. You can probably tell that I love to learn about pretty much everything. In addition to all this cool information, Chad presented to the kids on the history of baseball gloves and even talked about leather tanning too. Then, he told the story of how he got into fixing gloves for his son's teammates and eventually for LSU players and even some professionals. 

After the kids asked him a million questions, Chad showed the kids some of the tools he uses to repair gloves and condition new ones. They loved this wooden mallet, used to break in new gloves. He also let them look at the different colored leather cord available for stringing gloves. Some players like to get their gloves strung in the colors of their school.

Overall, it was fascinating to see that the tools Chad uses to work with leather are nearly the same as the ones used by ancient shoemakers: awls, knives, needles. Chad's wife Michelle, a tech guru at my old school, made the above image for us using AI. The kids got the biggest kick out of it, but I thought it was perfect - even though the Romans would not have used baseball gloves, it's a great reminder of the similarities between ancient and modern leatherworking.

Asking working adults to spend half a day away from their work to talk to my students is hard for me. I honestly hate to do it because I know that everyone is busy, but I have never had an adult say that they didn't enjoy sharing what they do with the students. And the kids had a blast learning about this unique work. 

Thanks a million to Chad for being so generous with his time and knowledge. If you need a glove doctor, he should be your first stop.

The Roman Shoe Project: Baby Steps with BULLAE

With all the fascinating information out there about ancient Roman leather shoes, I knew that I would have plenty of lessons to share with my students. But, we needed to start small so the kids could learn how to work with leather and its traditional tools.

Our first project was making our own Roman bullae. These ceremonial necklaces were given to children at age 9. The archaeological record gives us numerous ones made of gold and goldplate, but a couple of Roman authors refer to ones made of leather. You can see our notes on these (and some pictures in this slide deck). Female students were happy to learn of the existence of the lunula, given to girls with the same purpose in mind.

My first step was to create a pattern for both shapes so that students could choose either one (you can see that pattern here). Although ancient children would not have had a choice, ancient children would not have been making their own leather bulla either so I figured why not? I had several students choose the opposite shape because they simply liked the way the shape looked. They also needed practice with tracing a pattern since most students had no sewing experience. For this project, we used thin-tempered (pliable) chrome-tanned scrap leather that is available from craft stores for very cheap (this bag is only $10).

From the get-go, I knew that I would not be teaching my students about leather-working knives because they are a bit too sharp for my liking. I don't normally shy away from sharp tools (my students are learning how to use awls, for example), but knives seemed a step too far. Thus, we've been practicing with scissors. And if you're using scissors in your classes, I hope you're training your students how to walk safely and slowly when retrieving these for use. Before we began this unit on leatherworking, I had each of my students take notes on the different tools and how to use them safely and then commit on paper with a safety pledge. Advice from someone who uses tools often in class - never skimp on safety.

After tracing the patterns onto leather, the students got to work on cutting them out. The next step was to learn how to use leather punches and awls to make holes where the bullae and lunulae would be sewn up around the edges. They folded the pattern over so that their holes would be in the same spots on both sides of the leather. Did they do this properly? Not in all cases, but this was part of the reason why I wanted them to practice on a smaller project first...before we use expensive leather for our shoes.

Next, the students had to sew their leather necklaces shut. Did students need lots of help threading needles and using thread? Of course. Did that stop me from doing this project? Nope. Some projects test my patience and that of my students, but is that a deciding factor? Nope. Students (and teachers) need to practice patience and resilience.

Last, the students chose special objects to put in their necklace pouches. One student chose a silver dollar his dad had given him for good luck. Another chose a crystal he had been keeping on his desk at home. I wish we had more evidence about what the Romans put in theirs.

All in all, this project was a good one to introduce the students to simple leather working tools and techniques. It also yielded wearable items! I see my students wearing them all the time as if they are super proud of them. As they should be.

Note to teachers looking to replicate this project, but without the tools or actual leather: former Latin teacher Ginny Lindzey has a great lesson on it posted on her Website in which she uses foil to recreate the bullae.

The Roman Shoe Project: Stepping into Hands-on History

I've been MIA from blogging for the past couple of months because this project has demanded my full attention. We have really been busy. Let me start from the beginning!

During the pandemic, I became a huge fan of watching online lectures by archaeologists. The Archaeological Institute of America offered (and still does) monthly lectures for free, and it was at one of these that I learned of the leather collection at the site of Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall in northern England. Dr. Elizabeth M. Greene spoke about the Roman shoes that she has excavated through years of work there. She explained that the soil of Vindolanda is particularly anaerobic and preserves leather very well. Archaeologists have found hundreds of shoes at this site, once a fort and town on the edge of the empire. Some of the shoes, found in a waste area of the town, had been discarded by those moving on to other places. Some may have been lost. Some were found with their twin. I was intrigued by these shoes and the stories they might tell us.

Shockingly, the shoes look almost modern. It's pretty easy to see how they were designed and tooled. I immediately began thinking about how I could incorporate ancient leathercraft into my Roman Technology classes. In years past, the students have made their own leather bullae, or childhood protective amulets. They used small leather punches to make holes in scrap leather I purchased, and then they sewed the little pouches shut with twine, enclosing a special tiny object for themselves before putting on their necklaces. "Could we make shoes too?" I started to wonder.

In the summer of 2023, I was fortunate to receive a travel scholarship from the National Latin Exam. I designed my own trip to Roman Britain, and of course, Vindolanda was on my list. I wanted to see its famed shoes myself! You can peruse my collection of leather shoe photographs here.

When I arrived for my visit to the archaeological site, I was touched to see this sign at the entrance. It REALLY got me thinking about studying shoes. The old adage goes, "Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes." My students can learn deeply about the daily lives of the Romans we study by recreating their shoes.

Most information about the classical world comes from literature written by wealthy, upper-class male citizens. They had the time and resources to write about their lives. But what about the others? Women, children, enslaved people, craftspeople? I want my students to learn about them too. Hands-on history projects like creating leather shoes allow students a window into the daily lives of people whose voices aren't often heard in literature.

So, can we do it? The students will be learning about the sources of leather in the ancient world, about the tanning process, about the craftspeople who made shoes, and about the people who wore them. We'll then design and craft our own Roman-style leather sandals or boots before experimenting with their use in our daily lives. We'll be making "footsteps into the past."