Page 75 - J. C. Turner - History and Science of Knots

Ancient Egyptian Rope and Knots 63

Fig. 29. Schematic drawing of a sandal plaited with eight strands (not to scale).
One end of the sandal is folded over to give extra strength to the heel
The most simple sandals found at Qasr Ibrim are flip-flops made by plait-
ing strips of dom palm leaf into a sandal shaped mat (Fig. 29). The pointed
end was folded to make a double layer underneath the heel. The mat was fas-
tened to the foot by a strap, tied at three points: the two sides of the foot and
between the toes. The strap was pulled through the fabric of the sandal and
held in place under the sole by a Z- overhand stopper knot. The coarser the
sandal, the larger the stopper knot had to be, in order to prevent the strand
from slipping through the holes between the plaited strands. In some cases
the size of the stopper knot must have been a hindrance for the wearer while
walking. In the more complex sandals, which consisted of an inner sole, outer
sole, and sides covering the toes, the strap was still fastened with a stopper
knot underneath the foot.
In Qasr Ibrim, knots were occasionally used for decoration. Two examples
of this are a palm leaf wreath and a small finger ring. The wreath was made
of a midrib of the date palm split in half (Fig. 30).
The two halves were both tied into a circle, both sides being re-connected
by knotting the leaflets with ZS-reef knots. Perhaps the most moving find
from Qasr Ibrim is the small finger ring (Fig. 31). Made of a strip of straw,
which has retained its golden gloss, the ring is a monument of simplicity and
beauty. In small objects such as these the people of the past are suddenly very
near to us.