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> an ancient road in ancient boots

Boots? That's luxury! Sandals more likely...

What you call sandals the Romans called boots. Their boots were open on the top but still heavily soled. This suited their climate and kept the foot cool and dry.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligae

The wikipedia article names them in the first paragraph "sandal-boots".

So maybe they were both

(If I were to see someone wear them today, I would call them sandals)

A modern alternative might be a pair of crocs?

These were hob nailed thick soles leather boots where the uppers were a series of adjustable straps. I don't think there's anything modern that's comparable.

The closest in terms of function would probably be the jungle boot, where the uppers have drains and fabric air circulation panels built in to keep the foot cooler and dryer.

These boots were designed to allow the wearer to walk long distances without discomfort in the Mediterranean climate of the Roman empire

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