Leather Shoe with Gilded Decoration. Dimensions: 9.25 in. long (23.5 cm long). Date: 4th-7th century.Documentary and archaeological sources attest to the variety of footwear in Byzantine Egypt. Written evidence suggests that sandals were worn by government officials, slippers by monks and clergy, and boots by soldiers and laborers; the poorest members of society would have gone barefoot.The gold that creates the lattice pattern was stamped onto the red leather of this sumptuously decorated shoe. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.