Sandals: A Sign of Slave Culture
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By tr41c
- Sandals: A Sign of Slave Culture
- Created: May 1, 2008
- Last updated: Aug 14, 2008
- After episode: 4.9: The Shape of Things to Come
- Status: Current
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I know there has been much speculation concerning the toes on the island’s statute but I want to focus attention on the sandals depicted on the statued figure.
There is evidence of sandals being worn during the Ice Age @5 million years ago , but thong sandals like the ones on the Island’s 4 toed statute came along much later in Ancient Egypt @4000 BC. Sandals in Egypt were a sign of nobility or royal authority; slaves went barefoot (bare feet being a sign of their status as slaves- along these lines it might be interesting to look at when and why folks go barefoot on the island) and the nobility wore sandals as a sign that they were not slaves but rather those who ruled over slaves. This is in part why Moses in the book of Exodus (in the Bible;written in the 2nd millennium BC and referenced in show titles and multiple themes, even the names given to characters) is required to remove his sandals when standing in the presence of the Lord (the king) on Mt. Sinai; He is signifying that Yahweh is his king and he is Yahweh’s servant. And also explains why John the Baptist in the New Testament (@26 AD, just to give a sense of just how long this symbol of slavery/ kingship held on)says of himself, that he is not worthy to untie the thongs of Christ’s sandals. He is saying that Christ is king and that he feels himself unworthy to even be His slave or servant.
My point in all this is that when we think about sandals of the kind depicted on the statute, we probably need to be thinking about slavery. Slavery does seem to play a significant role in this islands past, and perhaps a slave past that doesn’t just go back to the Black Rock (slave ship) but all the way back to the Ancient world ( as other ancient cultures adopted the same symbolism), and perhaps even a lost civilization like Atlantis (given the toes); although if theorists are correct in dating Atlantis to 9,000 BC it would have predated our earliest archaeological examples of such sandals by @5,000 years, but who is to say.
I see evidence as well of the kind of racism (and perhaps 4 toed racism) that would support slavery in many of the things Charles Widmore says, including last shows dialogue with Ben where he lets him know that he “knows who he is, what he is” and his calling Ben, “boy”. We need to get Charles to take his socks off; and when he does, I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.
We could go on to talk about the emphasis on the colors black and white, the language us/others, and all kinds of prejudice. But for right now let us think race (I think the toes on the statute also point to this theme), racism, and the resultant slavery when we think of thonged sandals.
Key characters
| Short Name | Full Name | Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles | Charles Widmore | 411 |
Key episodes
| # | Title | Aired | Central character | Theories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.23 | Live Together, Die Alone | 5-24-2006 | Desmond | 323 |
Key events
| Theme | Relevant Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|
| Four Toed Statue | 204 |
Key locations
| Theme | Relevant Episodes | Theories |
|---|---|---|
| 4-Toed Statue | 2.23 | 49 |
I posted the above just so people can see precisely what you’re discussing here - hope you don’t mind.
Refreshing way of looking at this matter. Never even occurred to me before. Not knowing they slightest thing about sandals and sandal history I hope yourself and the good minds of the L-T community go to research town on this and thrash the truth out of it until it weeps.
+1
I like your theory, and I believe you about the sandals, not not 100% about the Withmore-has-4-toes-part yet. But the things above the sandal, around the lower leg, is that a extension of the sandal? because it reminds me of what Romans used to wear.. may sound silly, but still
Very interesting - nice to see something new! +1 So let me see if I can boil it down a little. Are you proposing that the 4T’s (four-toed people) used to be in control (slave masters), at least on the island. Then at some point, the 5T’s (Ben, et al) overthrew the 4T’s or mutinied, hence the statue being torn down.
So I have two questions: 1. What are they fighting for control over - the island and its properties, or something even larger? 2. Who else would be on Widmore’s team? It seems like there has to be some other 4T people around with the same goal as him, otherwise he is going to have a very lonely and difficult battle. I know he is rich, but I also know it is lonely at the top!
Thanks AC for that picture!
http://members.tripod.com/romeartlover/Feet.html
http://www.lost-theories.com/theories/2008/feb/28/four-toed-statue-not-native-is/
interesting web page on roman sandals and the original thoory posted here i gound it on.
AngeloComet, thanks so much for the picture, that was a necessary addition.
wow, i need to proof-read more.
Same here lateralus. You are making good points. Thanks
lateralus - that foot page - did it have any four-toed statues? I didn’t see any, but I did read the thing about Roman/Greek/Egyptian feet. But they still all have five toes, didn’t they?
really interesting. 1+
I heard somewhere that the producers didn’t at first care about 4 toes and they were actually gonna have a status with 6 toes. I haven’t read it anywhere myself so don’t take my word for it. But if it is true then it means the sandals are the important thing in here and the difference in the number of toes. And not “4” toes!
I also wanted to remind every one of the time that Michael was in the jungle. He saw a number of people passing through the jungle barefoot. Among them were the two children who were taken away from the tail section. So maybe the names on the list were those who were wanted for slavery. Now what kind of slavery who knows?!!
Oh and I just realised (sorry i’m sometimes too slow!) that the only person from the losties that was killed by smokey is Mr Eko and he was also the only person who was on the list but could not be taken away!!!
SamiLost, good point. The sandals are probably more important than the toes, if we are to go with the slavery angle.
Nice new well backed theory. +1
Anybody know how many toes Richard has?
Speaking of Richard. When he goes to recruit Juliet, he says he is from Mittelos Bioscience.
Mittelos Bioscience is an anagram for….
Imbecilic Stone Toes
Which can only mean one thing. I am way overdue for a new episode.
abstract, that is just funny as hell.
“”“I went to the Louve Atlana recently and saw a 2nd century AD statue of the Tiberinus. and guess how many toes it had on its left foot…..FOUR!!! I learned that ancient Roman sculptors would often portray gods and other high statis mythological figures with only four toes on their left foot.
I learned that ancient Roman sculptors would often portray gods and other high statis mythological figures with only four toes on their left foot.”“”
that was from zoso_businessman’s post.
I just spent 20 minutes on google trying to find where i saw a picture of that statue he mentioned. I could almost swear i saw it somewhere when i read that post originally.
Maybe its just the foot of a giant Homer Simpson statue?
Not to burst your bubble, but try to name any culture before the 1600’s that didn’t have slavery.
They all did.
This theory doesn’t narrow it down.
Good idea though.
Thanks everybody for your input. I’m enjoying having a place to jot down some of my LOST ideas. What a great thing to have a show that is actually causing people to think and have a little public discourse. Don’t worry about the criticisms, at least my kids still think I’m a genius! Hope everyone enjoys the show tonight.
Good theory but I think the four toes are more important than the sandals. sandles ground us in the idea of ancient cultures but the four toes point out how different these people may have been from everyday humans running around in the five-toed world.
The four toes may also be a link to ancient cultures and the sandles just another reenforcement of that idea. They do have a very distinct Roman-esque feel to them