Comments on: Taking a Closer Look at an Odd Pair of Very, Very Old Socks

By: Joe Bloggs

Joe Bloggs — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:56:04 +0000

And note they had knitting machines as well as the unusual dye, and after 1500 plus years still look like they were amde yesterday – no deterioration – yeh right !

By: kathy

kathy — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:20:14 +0000

These socks look like camel feet.
If you have an animal that is valuable to you and its feet need protecting, you will do what you need to do for it.
Check the material inside the socks and see what residue is there.
I bet you will find camel hair.

By: Darryl Ricketts

Darryl Ricketts — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 03:28:00 +0000

did anyone ever think that maybe these were made for camels?

By: Guido

Guido — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 10:29:44 +0000

The biggest wonder is that it is a matching pair! :)

By: Eugene Shanor

Eugene Shanor — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:56:44 +0000

I lean toward the ectrodactyl hypothesis, but wonder about the dimensions. Perceptive and (unintentional) photographic distortion can play tricks. The absence of a device, or even written dimensions other than a reference to an athlete’s shoe size makes any evaluation speculative at best. So, the aliens win by default.

By: Martin C

Martin C — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:39:54 +0000

My wife does viking reenactment and has naalbound socks for the whole family. Ours only go just to the ankle but are quite tight fitting, yet do not need this attachment at the instep. I think it might just be a particular styling decision by the maker.

By: ZaftigWendy

ZaftigWendy — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 23:58:19 +0000

Nalbinding, like knitting, is very stretchy, so these toes would easily fit a quite normal human foot. Hand knit tabi socks look quite similar at the toes. I am more interested in the heel shaping. Are they sewn across the instep? Or is the ridge there decorative or perhaps structural in some way? Is there a seam under the heel?

By: C

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 22:12:27 +0000

Looks a lot like tabi, but it is strange that both “toes” are so narrow. Surprised to see so little specific mention of this.

Amazing that these are in such great condition!

By: Spritzy

Spritzy — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:39:07 +0000

So is nalbiinding sorta like tatting?

By: windy

windy — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 16:20:25 +0000

I agree FeeBeeKay, I think they would be ideal for a camel or even a cow.

By: Phyllis Brockman

Phyllis Brockman — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 17:55:49 +0000

Ancient Aliens appeals to me. The socks fascinated me as well. The My initial observation was that the toes were knitted to be equal in size and length. The shape and length reminded me of something I had read about ancient aliens in Egypt who were reported to have elongated heads and the headgear they wore reflected that shape. I love it when we who have lived in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries attempt explain everything within the paradigm of what we do, how we look and what we wear.

By: FeeBeeKay

FeeBeeKay — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 08:36:34 +0000

Camel socks!

By: pogo

pogo — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 09:17:22 +0000

they look very much like bird feet, so don’t think they are so strange. They could have been for sculpture or idols because many ancients did dress their figures and idols.

They could also be costume devices for priests to imitate their dieties as Egyptians had many deities represented by birds. Doesn’t seem any stranger than the costumes worn by shamans or “doctors” during the Plague or for that matter the crane costumes that are used now for leading migration flights.

By: Carol Kocian

Carol Kocian — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 18:50:04 +0000

Candyce, nalbinding uses a needle and yarn, passing the yarn through loops. Crochet uses a hook and makes loops of yarn. Crochet can be pulled out (like knitting), and nalbinding cannot be pulled out.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 17:10:49 +0000

Dear god. So it seems we have finally figured out who is to blame for the horrible trend of wearing socks with sandals.