Apparently I'm the shoes guy around here... I don't know what to think about that...In reality, neither the Greeks nor Romans wore sandals outside--or at least not of the kind sword-and-sandals flicks associate them with. Greek has over 80 words for different kinds of footwear, ranging from open, sandal-like shoes to sturdy boots to felt flats. Something important to note, however, is that every single movie depiction of Greeks wearing shoes with buckled straps is fantasy. The Greek world did not know of buckled shoes, which were an invention of the Romans. Most depictions we have of footwear in the Greek world also do not include these tedious networks of ribbon-thin leather thongs crisscrossing the feet of so many teenage girls today--that, again, is to be found largely in the Roman world.