SOPHIA/SOFIA TSOURINAKI - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by SOPHIA/SOFIA TSOURINAKI
JHIE/Journal of the Hellenic Institute of Egyptology 6, 2024
Redefining ancient textile handcraft structures, tools and production processes: proceedings of the VIIth International Symposium on Textiles and Dyes in the Ancient Mediterranean World (Granada, Spain 2-4 October 2019), 2020, ISBN 978-84-338-6776-6, págs. 453-460, 2020
Environment and Religion in Ancient and Coptic Egypt: Sensing the Cosmos through the Eyes of the Divine, 2020
Archaeopress Egyptology 30
In the first centuries AD, garments dyed with real purple extracted from the Muricidæ molluscs we... more In the first centuries AD, garments dyed with real purple extracted from the Muricidæ molluscs were used as «adulterated» status symbols and visual markers of wealth in the Mediterranean societies. In such a picture and due to the extremely high cost of the marine shellęsh, purple colours were often falsięed. The late Hellenistic papyri list a variety of «hot» and «cold» dyeing processes for the imitations of purple, where madder, alkanet, kermes, seaweed, saflower, and orchil/lichen mixed with several additives are reported. The thorough analysis of the «purple» textiles at the Benaki Museum, the Museum of Byzantine Art and the Museum of Hellenic Folk Art, in Athens, plus the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation in Nauplion demonstrates all the dyeing materials mentioned in the alchemical papyri and conęrms that the imitation of purple dyeing may be classięed in four methods. For the scope of this Research Project, the content of Hellenic and Latin literary sources was carefully examined and (in order to place the results in a broader historical context), similar data regarding Egypt from pharaonic times were added. Moreover, experiments with real purple and imitation dyes were reproduced by the author and compared with ancient and modern experiments where this was possible.
PURPURAE VESTES VII
Excavations in the Corinthian Gulf have brought to light four Hellenistic washing/fulling and dye... more Excavations in the Corinthian Gulf have brought to light four Hellenistic washing/fulling and dyeing establishments, which provide us with valuable information for the preparation and finishing activities of textiles. Especially, the coastal βαφεῖον/dyeing workshop of Helike with carefully made cisterns, clay vats and built in basins seems to be associated with: (a) washing, scouring and fulling processes (b) dyeing. Associated finds (stored limestone, ashes and ceramic tiles preserving traces of blue and green material) may indicate that dyeing with the immersion method was still practiced in the establishment. In order to gain new insights into the ingredients, process and economic aspects of the textile processes, the archaeological evidence in
the Corinthian Gulf can be used alongside the numerous references to dyeing in the historical and ethnographic record. It is not irrelevant that the chemical process taking place in the dye vat did not change over time and the basic principles have remained the same until the present era. Additionally, a wide range of plants used as sources of dyestuffs in the Hellenistic Period still grow in Greece and information relating to ethnographic parallels is valuable. For the scope of this research project, experiments with red dyes were reproduced by the author and compared with ancient experiments where this was possible. Moreover, epigraphic
evidence, literary sources with instructions for dyeing and ethnographic information will be discussed.
Cloth and clothing have played an important role in material culture and ancient economy. However... more Cloth and clothing have played an important role in material culture and ancient economy. However, textiles have rarely been preserved in archaeological context, and due to their perishable nature, one must seek other sources, such us epigraphic, literary and iconographic ones. Throughout the Hellenic world, textiles and garments represented great wealth and they were dedicated to the goddesses/gods, thus becoming part of the sanctuaries’ belongings. The sacred, clothing property was kept in treasuries in separate buildings, or in a part of the temple reserved for their storage. Although the treasures are no longer directly accessible to us, we still have evidence in the form of temple inventories inscribed on large stone stelae that suggest the arrangement of garments, their possible extent and monetary value.
The Benaki Museum comprises a fine collection of Late Antique textiles, covering a period that ex... more The Benaki Museum comprises a fine collection of Late Antique textiles, covering a period that extends roughly from the 3<sup>rd</sup> to the 10<sup>th</sup> Century AD. The focus of this paper is set on a virtually complete child's tunic with hood, which stands out for a number of reasons: 1. the examination of its subject matter and workmanship gives an impressive idea of the textile production in Egypt; 2. the stylistic analysis attests to the tenacity of the classical Hellenic tradition in the early Byzantine era. A full description of the garment is presented here, the weaving procedure and the type of loom used. For the scope of this study and in order to place the results in a broader historical and comparative context, the content of papyri from the Hellenistic–Roman Period was carefully examined.
Poster for the invited lectures by ia & Mrs Sophia Tsourinaki and Prof. Alicia Maravelia at the p... more Poster for the invited lectures by ia & Mrs Sophia Tsourinaki and Prof. Alicia Maravelia at the premises of the Writing & Scripts Centre of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, on Sunday 29th December 2019.
The ascetic Women in Egypt during the late Roman Antiquity in the first 6 centuries AD. The case ... more The ascetic Women in Egypt during the late Roman Antiquity in the first 6 centuries AD. The case of Mary of Egypt
In this paper, we are going to examine the woman asceticism in Egypt and
mainly the person of Mary of Egypt. One of the most remarkable phenomena
in the early history of Christianity was the growth and spread of the Egyptian
anchoretic and monastic movement. The details of the rise and development
of female asceticism in Egypt remain a matter of debate. Generally,
monasticism in Egypt was an overview of the legacy of the men and women
in Egypt who chose to practice the search for God by separating themselves
from the accepted obligations of life in a Late Antique city or village, where
the individual was firmly integrated into the family and the citizen body. We
know many things about the asceticism of Christian men in Egypt, but very
few things are known about the women as nuns, as desert ascetics in Egypt.
Of course, for these ascetic women the ultimate aim of bodily and spiritual
perfection, the Aim of true virginity and its highest reward, was the final
union with Jesus Christ, the bridegroom in the spiritual marriage. The desert
was not the place of predilection and the space that Christian women of the
early centuries chose to live for God. A lot of them chose their own homes,
bringing with them daughters and relatives to form a community of prayer.
Mary of Egypt is the example of the fallen state of sexual sin and the grace of
repentance. The edification itself in the life begins with the episode in which
Mary the harlot tells about her attempt to enter along with the faithful into the
church for the services to the Exaltation of the Lord’s Cross. She lived 47 years
in the desert in austere penance. The story of Mary before her conversion to
God is particularly realistic; it contains all the details of her life of fornication
in her youth.
Excavations in ancient Helike have brought to light a Hellenistic κναφεῖoν/βαφεῖoν, which consist... more Excavations in ancient Helike have brought to light a Hellenistic κναφεῖoν/βαφεῖoν, which consists of five carefully made cisterns connected by channels, heating places, clay vats and built–in basins. Associated finds, such as broken roof tiles preserving traces of blue and green dyeing material, plus a significant quantity of a stored quantity of lime and ashes may indicate that the building was suitable for a number of textile activities. Especially for dyeing wool with immersion by the fermentation method, lime and ashes are needed, either as a detergent or as a fixative. These two materials were found in significant quantities in Helike and the process can be recognized on the analogy of ethnographic and modern dye works in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. We suggest that the Helike establishment may have been associated with: a) the preparation and finishing activities of textiles (washing, scouring and fulling); b) the dyeing of wool with boiling and the fermentation method. Moreover, a significant number of textile tools, such as needles, pins and clay loom–weights attest that weaving–works were combined with dye–works. The diversity in shapes, types, sizes and weights are suggestive that a variety of different clothes may have been woven in the establishment, most likely by different weavers. The absence of spindle–whorls in the complex may indicate that the acquisition of fibres such as wool or linen may have taken place elsewhere; fibres would then have been spun by women in either domesticated contexts spinning for surplus income or in a central workshop. In conclusion, the Hellenistic Period, a time of experimentation in dyeing methods, the contemporary coastal workshops of Korinthos, Isthmia and Khostiai in the Corinthian Gulf, plus their possible socio-economic ties, will be discussed.
The present research aims: a) to investigate the four Hellenistic archaeological installations al... more The present research aims: a) to investigate the four Hellenistic archaeological installations along the Gulf of Corinth b) to propose a few criteria for understanding the chaine operatoire of this ubiquitous and time-consuming technology c) to concentrate upon the possible economic and social context of this technology for the Hellenistic Period in Greece.
JHIE/Journal of the Hellenic Institute of Egyptology 6, 2024
Redefining ancient textile handcraft structures, tools and production processes: proceedings of the VIIth International Symposium on Textiles and Dyes in the Ancient Mediterranean World (Granada, Spain 2-4 October 2019), 2020, ISBN 978-84-338-6776-6, págs. 453-460, 2020
Environment and Religion in Ancient and Coptic Egypt: Sensing the Cosmos through the Eyes of the Divine, 2020
Archaeopress Egyptology 30
In the first centuries AD, garments dyed with real purple extracted from the Muricidæ molluscs we... more In the first centuries AD, garments dyed with real purple extracted from the Muricidæ molluscs were used as «adulterated» status symbols and visual markers of wealth in the Mediterranean societies. In such a picture and due to the extremely high cost of the marine shellęsh, purple colours were often falsięed. The late Hellenistic papyri list a variety of «hot» and «cold» dyeing processes for the imitations of purple, where madder, alkanet, kermes, seaweed, saflower, and orchil/lichen mixed with several additives are reported. The thorough analysis of the «purple» textiles at the Benaki Museum, the Museum of Byzantine Art and the Museum of Hellenic Folk Art, in Athens, plus the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation in Nauplion demonstrates all the dyeing materials mentioned in the alchemical papyri and conęrms that the imitation of purple dyeing may be classięed in four methods. For the scope of this Research Project, the content of Hellenic and Latin literary sources was carefully examined and (in order to place the results in a broader historical context), similar data regarding Egypt from pharaonic times were added. Moreover, experiments with real purple and imitation dyes were reproduced by the author and compared with ancient and modern experiments where this was possible.
PURPURAE VESTES VII
Excavations in the Corinthian Gulf have brought to light four Hellenistic washing/fulling and dye... more Excavations in the Corinthian Gulf have brought to light four Hellenistic washing/fulling and dyeing establishments, which provide us with valuable information for the preparation and finishing activities of textiles. Especially, the coastal βαφεῖον/dyeing workshop of Helike with carefully made cisterns, clay vats and built in basins seems to be associated with: (a) washing, scouring and fulling processes (b) dyeing. Associated finds (stored limestone, ashes and ceramic tiles preserving traces of blue and green material) may indicate that dyeing with the immersion method was still practiced in the establishment. In order to gain new insights into the ingredients, process and economic aspects of the textile processes, the archaeological evidence in
the Corinthian Gulf can be used alongside the numerous references to dyeing in the historical and ethnographic record. It is not irrelevant that the chemical process taking place in the dye vat did not change over time and the basic principles have remained the same until the present era. Additionally, a wide range of plants used as sources of dyestuffs in the Hellenistic Period still grow in Greece and information relating to ethnographic parallels is valuable. For the scope of this research project, experiments with red dyes were reproduced by the author and compared with ancient experiments where this was possible. Moreover, epigraphic
evidence, literary sources with instructions for dyeing and ethnographic information will be discussed.
Cloth and clothing have played an important role in material culture and ancient economy. However... more Cloth and clothing have played an important role in material culture and ancient economy. However, textiles have rarely been preserved in archaeological context, and due to their perishable nature, one must seek other sources, such us epigraphic, literary and iconographic ones. Throughout the Hellenic world, textiles and garments represented great wealth and they were dedicated to the goddesses/gods, thus becoming part of the sanctuaries’ belongings. The sacred, clothing property was kept in treasuries in separate buildings, or in a part of the temple reserved for their storage. Although the treasures are no longer directly accessible to us, we still have evidence in the form of temple inventories inscribed on large stone stelae that suggest the arrangement of garments, their possible extent and monetary value.
The Benaki Museum comprises a fine collection of Late Antique textiles, covering a period that ex... more The Benaki Museum comprises a fine collection of Late Antique textiles, covering a period that extends roughly from the 3<sup>rd</sup> to the 10<sup>th</sup> Century AD. The focus of this paper is set on a virtually complete child's tunic with hood, which stands out for a number of reasons: 1. the examination of its subject matter and workmanship gives an impressive idea of the textile production in Egypt; 2. the stylistic analysis attests to the tenacity of the classical Hellenic tradition in the early Byzantine era. A full description of the garment is presented here, the weaving procedure and the type of loom used. For the scope of this study and in order to place the results in a broader historical and comparative context, the content of papyri from the Hellenistic–Roman Period was carefully examined.
Poster for the invited lectures by ia & Mrs Sophia Tsourinaki and Prof. Alicia Maravelia at the p... more Poster for the invited lectures by ia & Mrs Sophia Tsourinaki and Prof. Alicia Maravelia at the premises of the Writing & Scripts Centre of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, on Sunday 29th December 2019.
The ascetic Women in Egypt during the late Roman Antiquity in the first 6 centuries AD. The case ... more The ascetic Women in Egypt during the late Roman Antiquity in the first 6 centuries AD. The case of Mary of Egypt
In this paper, we are going to examine the woman asceticism in Egypt and
mainly the person of Mary of Egypt. One of the most remarkable phenomena
in the early history of Christianity was the growth and spread of the Egyptian
anchoretic and monastic movement. The details of the rise and development
of female asceticism in Egypt remain a matter of debate. Generally,
monasticism in Egypt was an overview of the legacy of the men and women
in Egypt who chose to practice the search for God by separating themselves
from the accepted obligations of life in a Late Antique city or village, where
the individual was firmly integrated into the family and the citizen body. We
know many things about the asceticism of Christian men in Egypt, but very
few things are known about the women as nuns, as desert ascetics in Egypt.
Of course, for these ascetic women the ultimate aim of bodily and spiritual
perfection, the Aim of true virginity and its highest reward, was the final
union with Jesus Christ, the bridegroom in the spiritual marriage. The desert
was not the place of predilection and the space that Christian women of the
early centuries chose to live for God. A lot of them chose their own homes,
bringing with them daughters and relatives to form a community of prayer.
Mary of Egypt is the example of the fallen state of sexual sin and the grace of
repentance. The edification itself in the life begins with the episode in which
Mary the harlot tells about her attempt to enter along with the faithful into the
church for the services to the Exaltation of the Lord’s Cross. She lived 47 years
in the desert in austere penance. The story of Mary before her conversion to
God is particularly realistic; it contains all the details of her life of fornication
in her youth.
Excavations in ancient Helike have brought to light a Hellenistic κναφεῖoν/βαφεῖoν, which consist... more Excavations in ancient Helike have brought to light a Hellenistic κναφεῖoν/βαφεῖoν, which consists of five carefully made cisterns connected by channels, heating places, clay vats and built–in basins. Associated finds, such as broken roof tiles preserving traces of blue and green dyeing material, plus a significant quantity of a stored quantity of lime and ashes may indicate that the building was suitable for a number of textile activities. Especially for dyeing wool with immersion by the fermentation method, lime and ashes are needed, either as a detergent or as a fixative. These two materials were found in significant quantities in Helike and the process can be recognized on the analogy of ethnographic and modern dye works in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. We suggest that the Helike establishment may have been associated with: a) the preparation and finishing activities of textiles (washing, scouring and fulling); b) the dyeing of wool with boiling and the fermentation method. Moreover, a significant number of textile tools, such as needles, pins and clay loom–weights attest that weaving–works were combined with dye–works. The diversity in shapes, types, sizes and weights are suggestive that a variety of different clothes may have been woven in the establishment, most likely by different weavers. The absence of spindle–whorls in the complex may indicate that the acquisition of fibres such as wool or linen may have taken place elsewhere; fibres would then have been spun by women in either domesticated contexts spinning for surplus income or in a central workshop. In conclusion, the Hellenistic Period, a time of experimentation in dyeing methods, the contemporary coastal workshops of Korinthos, Isthmia and Khostiai in the Corinthian Gulf, plus their possible socio-economic ties, will be discussed.
The present research aims: a) to investigate the four Hellenistic archaeological installations al... more The present research aims: a) to investigate the four Hellenistic archaeological installations along the Gulf of Corinth b) to propose a few criteria for understanding the chaine operatoire of this ubiquitous and time-consuming technology c) to concentrate upon the possible economic and social context of this technology for the Hellenistic Period in Greece.
PURPURAE VESTES VIΙ Redifining Textile Handicraft, Structures, Tools and Production Processes (Granada 2019).
JOURNAL OF THE HELLENIC INSTITUTE OF EGYPTOLOGY 3
Preliminary Programme for the February 2020 Athens Conference on Women and their Cosmic and Earth... more Preliminary Programme for the February 2020 Athens Conference on Women and their Cosmic and Earthly/Social status in ancient Egypt and in the Mediterranean Basin. Participants from all over the world are welcome to attend!
Poster for the invited lectures by Prof. Alicia Maravelia & Mrs Sophia Tsourinaki at the premises... more Poster for the invited lectures by Prof. Alicia Maravelia & Mrs Sophia Tsourinaki at the premises of the Writing & Scripts Centre of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, on Sunday 29th December 2019.
Invitation for the half-day conference co-organized by the 4th P.E.K.E.S. (Attica, Hellas) and th... more Invitation for the half-day conference co-organized by the 4th P.E.K.E.S. (Attica, Hellas) and the Hellenic Institute of Egyptology (in Greek), related to the approach of the ancient Egyptian religion through art, with hints and extensions to the Coptic and Byzantine art.
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