calceus

thumb|right|250px|A AD statue of the list of Roman emperors|emperor [[Tiberius recovered from a theater at Herculaneum. Depicted performing a religious ritual with his toga pulled over his head, the emperor is shown wearing the of the patrician class.]] thumb|right|250px|Calcei in a Ancient Roman painting|Roman fresco from [[Paestum, in southern Italy]] The calceus (: calcei) was the common upper-class male footwear of the Roman Republic and Empire. Normally made of leather and hobnailed, it was flat soled and typically reached the lower shin, entirely covering the foot and ankle. It was secured with crossed thongs or laces. Equivalent to a short boot or high-top shoe, it was lighter than the military caliga but sturdier than slip-on shoes like the soccus and able to easily handle outdoor use.

==Name== The Latin word derives from ("heel") and the usually Grecian suffix , meaning essentially "heely" or "thing for the heel". It is frequently taken loosely as the general Latin word for any laced and covered shoe distinguished from sandals, slippers, and boots. Theodor Mommsen even considered it to sometimes intend sandals as well. Similarly, medieval Latin used the adjective to indicate both mendicant orders which only used sandals and those which went entirely barefoot.