Better wear the right socks in Archaic Greece!

In Archaic Greece, (around 800 to 480 BCE), they had a very strong taboo around feet. Pretty much everything about them was considered to be ugly, shameful, and rude.<br><br>The worst possible insult in Ancient Greece was to call someone malakos (soft), which was a term that was used in particular to describe people who wore soft, loose socks. Not only did they not care for this term, but they were so infuriated by the idea of someone wearing these things that the ancient Greeks made it illegal to wear them in public.<br><br>As a result, the Greeks went out of their way to avoid that look, to the point where it was considered to be more shameful to wear socks in public than it was to be naked. <br><br>This is why in ancient Greek art, you’ll often see depictions of the gods in their birthday suits.<br><br>It didn’t stop at art, though. In everyday life, the ancient Greeks walked around barefoot rather than wear socks. It was only in athletic contexts that they would cover them up, using what was known as udones. This was a primitive sandal made with leather straps that was used by runners.<br><br>In fact, the Greeks detested footwear so much that they were one of the only ancient civilizations not to use it.<br><br>So if you ever find yourself walking the streets of Archaic Greece, be sure to ditch the socks.