Archaeology 2021, 9(1): 14-20 DOI: 10.5923/j.archaeology.20210901.03 Study of a Pair of Traditional Women’s Shoes from Chios Island Dated to 1905 Arentona Fostriropoulou 1,* , Anna Karatzani 2 1 Ephorate of Antiquities of Lasithi, Ayios Nikolaos, Crete, Greece 2 Assistant Professor, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos Str., Egaleo, Athens, Greece Abstract This paper describes the analytical investigation of a pair of women’s shoes (known as slippers) from Pyrgi of Chios Island. The shoes belong to the Lyceum Club of Greek Women (Lykeion ton Hellenidon) traditional costume collection. They are dated to 1905 and were typically used on festive occasions. Shoes are composite objects with small dimensions with a complex construction and decorative elements and as such they pose difficulties to conservators. Moreover, shoes from that time are only rarely found in collections in Greece. Thus it was decided to perform a systematic investigation in order to obtain technological knowledge about the materials and techniques used for their manufacture. Analytical methods used to characterize the shoes’ components include Optical Microscopy (OM); Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM/EDX); Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR/ATR); X-radiography and X-Ray Computed Tomography (CT). The results obtained from the materials characterization study were also used to determine the condition of the slippers and plan for the appropriate treatment methodology. Keywords Shoes, Velvet fabric, Metal threads, Leather, OM, SEM/EDX, FTIR/ATR, X-Radiography, X-Ray Computed Tomography 1. Introduction The paper focuses on the study and material investigation of a pair of women’s shoes (slippers) from Pyrgi of Chios Island, which is part of the collection of the Club of Greek Women (Lykeion ton Hellenidon) in Athens. The shoes are dated to 1905 and were typically used on festive occasions. They are flat with a leather outsole and a velvet vamp decorated with red tassels and embroidered with metal threads and sequins. Both slippers are misshaped and the leather outsole is worn off. The velvet fabric is in good condition but the metal threads are corroded and some sequins and tassels are missing. Shoes are composite objects with a complex construction and decorative elements and as such they pose difficulties to conservators. The published information on methods developed for the conservation treatment of shoes is limited. They mostly deal with leather excavated shoes [1-5], while shoes are not discussed often in textile conservation texts [6-8]. * Corresponding author: arentonafostir@hotmail.com (Arentona Fostriropoulou) Published online at http://journal.sapub.org/archaeology Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Scientific & Academic Publishing This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Shoes from that period are only rarely found in Greek collections, and it is hoped their study will provide both technological knowledge and information about the value and significance of such objects during the early 20 th century. Similarities with Eastern shoes will be also explored due to the geographic location of Chios Island and to the known trade routes of that period [9]. Materials characterization was used to determine the composition of construction materials, to assess their condition and to help plan for the appropriate treatment proposal [10,11]. Analytical methods used to characterize the shoes’ components include: Optical Microscopy (OM); Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM/EDX); Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR/ATR); X-radiography and X-Ray Computed Tomography (CT). This methodology provided details of the materials used as well as the construction technology related to the successive layers of the sole (leather and supporting materials), their morphology and thickness and the joining techniques used. The velvet part (vamp) and the supporting layers together with the metal threads and the stitching used to secure it with the leather outsole were also recorded. The fibres of the velvet fabric and the tassels were identified as well as the metals and the core threads of the metal threads and the sequins. Based on the results obtained treatment options were explored in order to clean, reshape and stabilize all their individual parts.