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Article: Gallicae
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- Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages
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Gallicae
Gallicae is a general name given to a style of closed leather boot worn by the men of ancient Rome. The Romans named the boots gallicae because they had first encountered them when they were fighting the northern tribes of Gaul, present-day France, after 100 b.c.e. Roman soldiers on long military campaigns in the cold climate of Gaul adopted the sturdy, protective footwear worn by the
natives. When they returned home, these soldiers brought the style back to Rome, where it soon became popular.
During the early years of the Roman Republic, which began around 509 b.c.e., Roman citizens wore very simple footwear. As the Greeks had done before them, both rich and poor Romans mainly ...