{"product_id":"hoplite-shoes-articulated-foot-armour","title":"Hoplite Shoes — Articulated Foot Armour","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e€2,500 per pair · Made to order\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA pair of articulated foot guards with sculpted toe caps, hinged instep plates and ankle straps. Designed and art-directed by \u003cstrong\u003eGeorgios Katsos \/ Archaeopolis\u003c\/strong\u003e and handcrafted by \u003cstrong\u003eDimitris Katsikis\u003c\/strong\u003e, this contemporary interpretation brings an unusual form of ancient armour into the Archaeopolis collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eYour commission\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe two main product photographs show the Archaeopolis pair. Visible details include anatomical toe modelling, hinges across the forefoot, an instep shell, stitched straps and an inner lining.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlease contact us before ordering\u003c\/strong\u003e to agree measurements, fit, exact materials, finish and production time. Each pair is supplied by commission; no next-day dispatch is promised for this item. Shipping is free within Greece and €19 internationally under the current store rates.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/contact\"\u003eDiscuss fit and production time →\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eArchaeological context: the Ruvo foot-guards\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA particularly close comparison is a pair of ancient bronze foot-guards from Ruvo in southern Italy, now in the British Museum. Dated to around \u003cstrong\u003e520–480 BCE\u003c\/strong\u003e and described as \u003cstrong\u003eGreek or Italian\u003c\/strong\u003e, they cover the upper foot and reproduce the toes in metal. Hinges connect the toe plates to the instep sections.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir anatomical modelling and articulation offer a useful comparison with the Archaeopolis form. This comparison concerns visible construction; it does not establish an exact reproduction of this specific ancient pair.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/0\/00\/Foot-Guards-Greek.jpg\" alt=\"Ancient bronze foot-guards with hinged toe plates, British Museum\" width=\"1200\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003eArchaeological reference: Ruvo foot-guards, c. 520–480 BCE. British Museum, 1856,1226.714. Photograph: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Foot-Guards-Greek.jpg\"\u003eGre regiment \/ Wikimedia Commons\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\"\u003eCC BY-SA 4.0\u003c\/a\u003e. Unmodified photograph. Museum objects are not included in the sale.\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.britishmuseum.org\/collection\/object\/G_1856-1226-714\"\u003eBritish Museum collection record →\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eRelated evidence: ankle protection\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a \u003cstrong\u003eGreek pair of bronze ankle guards, 5th century BCE\u003c\/strong\u003e, protecting the area below the greave. Ankle guards are a related but different type from the hinged toe-and-instep armour above. Their museum-recorded lengths are 23.2 cm and 22.7 cm; these are measurements of the ancient objects, not the size of the Archaeopolis commission.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/images.metmuseum.org\/CRDImages\/gr\/original\/DP21097.jpg\" alt=\"One Greek bronze ankle guard from the fifth-century BCE pair in the Met collection\" width=\"700\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003eArchaeological comparison: one ankle guard from a pair, Greek, 5th century BCE. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1982.11.5, .6. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/255748\"\u003eMet Open Access\u003c\/a\u003e \/ \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/publicdomain\/zero\/1.0\/\"\u003eCC0\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eReading the evidence\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFoot-guards are rare finds. Michael Burns discusses the Ruvo pair’s hinges, modelled toes and possible lining attachments in his study of south Italic armour. Perforations may relate to an inner lining, while original padding, fit and attachment remain matters of interpretation. See \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/discovery.ucl.ac.uk\/id\/eprint\/1445381\/\"\u003eBurns, 2006, section 4.11\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Hoplite Shoes” is the Archaeopolis collection name, not a claim that every Greek hoplite wore this form. The straps, lining and finish visible in our product photographs belong to the modern workshop interpretation. Exact alloy and material specifications are agreed for the commission rather than inferred from the colour of a photograph.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFurther reading: Dietrich von Bothmer, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/met-publications\/armorial-adjuncts-the-metropolitan-museum-journal-v-24-1989\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eArmorial Adjuncts\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003cem\u003eMetropolitan Museum Journal\u003c\/em\u003e 24 (1989), pp. 65–70.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.archaeopolis.gr\/collection\/objects\/hoplite-shoes\"\u003eExplore the Archaeopolis object archive →\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Archaeopolis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55307168252233,"sku":null,"price":2500.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1032\/3476\/5129\/files\/archaeopolis-objects-hoplite-shoes-dimitris-katsikis-001.jpg?v=1789064712","url":"https:\/\/shop.archaeopolis.gr\/products\/hoplite-shoes-articulated-foot-armour","provider":"Archaeopolis","version":"1.0","type":"link"}