Egyptian Socks (c. 250 – 420 CE)
These socks, found during the excavation at the Oxyrhynchus burial grounds, may date to the Romano-Egyptian era, but look almost new. Their bright red color still gleams, even after nearly two thousand years; an amazing state of preservation. While Egypt’s climate was typically warm and dry, the evenings could be cool and winters damp, making socks a cozy luxury. They kept Roman and Egyptian feet warm, even with the prevailing footwear being open sandals (the original ‘socks and sandals’ look).
These socks are split in the middle to accommodate the thong of an Egyptian sandal. The artisan who crafted the socks used a single-needle knitting technique that predates the two-needle system, called nålbindning. The nålbindning method crafts garments like the socks from a single thread. The way the thread was knit together created an elasticity that was good for clothing, like socks, that needed to have a tighter fit.
