Alina Iancu | National Heritage Institute Bucharest (original) (raw)

Conference Presentations by Alina Iancu

VIII Purpureae Vestes International Symposium. Tradition and Innovation in Textile Production in the Ancient Mediterranean World and Beyond, 2022

The Digital Atlas of European Textile Heritage is one of the most important deliverables in the C... more The Digital Atlas of European Textile Heritage is one of the most important deliverables in the COST Action 13191 “EuroWeb – Europe Through Textiles: Network for an integrated and interdisciplinary Humanities”. It is intended to be built as an online free Cartographic resource that is linked to a database specially adapted for the Atlas, containing archaeological, historical, and ethnographical data. The Atlas is currently a work in progress project, being permanently enriched with new digitized textile resources by specialists that are part of the EuroWeb network. It will become a major European textile repository that will highly increase the accessibility of information into this field. The EuroWeb Digital Atlas consists of a digital map linked to a repository that stores textile resources spanning from Prehistory until the 20th century AD. The types of resources displayed on the map are very diverse, including archaeological, historical, and ethnographical data from all over Europe and beyond. The principal aim of the Atlas is to give access to an alternative history of Europe by logging evidence of the vast material culture of textile and consumption in past societies. Therefore, the EuroWeb Atlas is developed by an international team in the framework of the EuroWeb COST Action and through its ambitious aims it had the potential to become an important online reference in the fields of textiles and heritage sciences.

VII Purpureae Vestes International Symposium. Redefining Textile Handcraft, Structures, Tools, and Production Processes -2019, Granada (Spain), 2019

This paper is focused on the ancient modes of production of textile tools (especially sp... more This paper is focused on the ancient modes of production of textile tools (especially spools), a subject which is neglected frequently in the field of archaeological textiles, while bigger attention is paid, for example, to the weaving and spinning crafts and to the nature of the textile fibers.
Spools of various shapes and sizes are ubiquitous in the Greek world, being associated by archaeologists with textile crafts. This category of tools is controversial because the functionality of the ancient spool-shaped objects is highly debated among scholars, while their characteristics need more investigation. A bigger interest was paid to the Bronze Age spool-shaped objects made of clay discovered in Greece (see: E. Banks 1967; M. Siennicka 2012, 69-71; L. Rahmstorf et al. 2015, 2730274; M. Siennicka and A. Ulanowska 2016, 25-35), which gives us a set of working methods useful in the study of the spools dated in the later periods, e.g.: Archaic and Classical.
Moreover, despite the large number of ancient spools recovered from archaeological sites in Peloponnese (e.g.: Olympia, Pylos- identified on the Hill of Armatova, Corinthos, Argos) and the isolated discoveries of spools during some major surveys in Arcadia, these objects have received much less attention than their Bronze Age Peloponnesian counterparts. As a consequence, the modes of manufacture, the geographical distribution, the characteristics and utility of these tools are not sufficiently known. For example, the previous lack of interest in this topic left unanswered the fundamental question if the Peloponnesian spools were used by the ancients for yarn storage, for tensioning the warp threads during the process of weaving or if they had multiple roles.
The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the physical features of the ancient spools from Elis, Greece, and to point out an ancient technique of spools manufacture quasi-unknown in the field of archaeological textiles: mould-made spools. The identification of this technique of manufacture in relation to the ancient spools from Elis, Peloponnese, brings new valuable data regarding the interpretation of the functionality and quality and the process of standardization of these tools. The fact that the potters deliberately choose to use moulds in order to create spools instead of the traditional techniques (well-made or hand-made) indicates the introduction of an innovation in the process of spools production. This fact has complex consequences over the whole process of textile tools production and consumption in the Peloponnese and this case of study can become a valuable comparandum.

According to the traditional view of ancient Greek society, women and men were expected to live t... more According to the traditional view of ancient Greek society, women and men were expected to live their lives in totally different ways: women should have spent their time in the private environment of the oikos, raising children, weaving and spinning, while men should have taken part to the social, political and military affairs of the polis, outside the household (Xen. Oec. 7.23). However, the strong distinction between the expected social roles of men and women is partially blurred when taking into account the use of textiles and cloth accessories in historical, mythological and literary contexts of violence, battles and war. The analysis of literary, iconographic and material evidence shows that while being bound to their role, women were sometimes implied as agents in violent episodes, using their accessories, various domestic tools and even actual fabrics to take revenge on men and to protect themselves by men’s anger and force. Furthermore, the ancient masculine and feminine spheres are related once more by the frequent use of metaphors in various literary texts comparing the battle scenes and combat actions with textiles, textile tools or even steps employed in the process of cloth production.
Despite the relatively richness of literary sources on the topic, only one was highly debated among scholars: a famous passage by Herodotus which states that after a disastrous battle between Athens and Aegina, the only Athenian survivor was stabbed to death by the women of the polis who used their dress pins as weapons, as a result of their frustration when they have been told that their husbands and sons were all dead (Hdt. 5.87-88). Attention was paid also to few references where mythological female characters used textiles to kill or hurt their enemies (e.g.: Clytemnestra murdered Agamemnon, using a textile fabric to prevent his resistance - Aesch. Ag. 1114-1125 - and Glauke was murdered similarly after she received from the jealous Medea a cloth soaked in poison - Eur. Med. 784-790).
Many other ancient sources related with this topic have not been investigated in detail until today due to their puzzling nature or because they are still seen as obscure references hard to be interpreted in terms of gender studies or to be integrated in a discussion related with the new domain of conflict archaeology. Indeed, they arouse many puzzling questions and this could be the reason why scholars do not feel comfortable to approach these sources. Did the ancient women who used their accessories or garments in order to attack their foes transgress their traditional domestic roles? Moreover, was an ancient pin or brooch indeed an efficient weapon which could be used by the ancient women against their foes? Do we have material evidence to support this idea or the ancient literary evidence should be interpreted rather as literary topoi with no real background? By collecting a representative account of ancient literary sources related with the secondary utility of ancient accessories and textile fabrics as weapons and comparing them against the archaeological record, I try to emphasize that this topic could be a useful ground for investigating aspects valuable for both the new domains of archaeological textiles and conflict archaeology.

The main aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of textiles as resources of power and p... more The main aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of textiles as resources of power and prestige in the Ancient Mediterranean, through a look from the military point of view of taking booty.
Plunder was one of the main reasons for conducting war in ancient times. As M. Rostovtseff aptly stated long time ago: “One of the most important facts in connection with war in ancient times is that it was universally regarded as a method, not only of settling political questions, but also of enriching the victors at the expense of the vanquished. ... All belligerents were in the habit of raiding enemy territory to devastate it and to secure as much booty as possible” (Social and Economic History of the Hellenistic World¸ I, 1941, 195). On the other hand, in ancient societies, certain garments and textiles, in general, were valuable commodities. This is due to the fact that their production was a complex process which sometimes implied highly skilled labour. Textiles were dedicated in sanctuaries, were given as dowry, were exchanged as precious gifts. Consequently, there is a reasonable expectation to find textiles as items of booty taken by various ancient armies. As well, it should also be taken into consideration the high probability that valuable textiles were acquired through force, not only as booty, but also as ransom and tribute.
Indeed, there are numerous accounts in ancient literary and archival sources providing cursory or detailed information on textiles as booty, ransom payments and tribute. They range from Assyrian royal propaganda texts and inventories of booty (e.g. Tell Al-Rimah Stela, CoS 2.14F, l. 4: “I received 2,000 talents of silver, 1,000 talents of copper, 2,000 talents of iron, 3,000 linen garments with multicolored trim - the tribute of Mari'”) to Biblical texts (e.g. Joshua 2:21: „a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight”), and from Egyptian inscriptions (e.g. the Annals of Thutmosis III from the Temple of Amun in Karnak, recording an important amount of garments taken as booty after the conquest of Meggido) to Greek and Latin literary texts (e.g. Hom. Il. 24.229-230: the ransom paid by Priamos to Akhilleus). They are supplemented by iconographical representations, as the well-known tribute scenes from the Apadana of Persepolis and the military reliefs in the Assyrian palaces.
An exhaustive catalogue of all these references, written and iconographic, will be a useful tool for both military historians and archaeologists, as well as for scholars interested in ancient textiles, ancient economy and the anthropology of power, stimulating comparative studies and further research. As such a catalogue would be an enduring project, for the present paper, only a representative sample of it, concerning the Eastern Mediterranean between cca. 1550 – 323 BC will be analysed with a view to extract some preliminary results. Some of the questions that are asked, based on this collection of sources, are the following: Which are the main sources of textiles as booty? Which are the most craved textiles? What was the post-plunder life of textiles, e.g. how were the textiles shared between kings, captains and soldiers?

Papers by Alina Iancu

Pontica LVI Supplementum X, 2023

A small ivory rod decorated with geometrical patterns was unearthed during older excavations at ... more A small ivory rod decorated with geometrical patterns was unearthed
during older excavations at Istros and it was published in 1989 by R. Florescu and I. Miclea as an "ivory hand for scratching". This paper aims to reassess the role of this object which fits into the category of instrumenta domestica being a specific type of distaff known as “Fingerkunkeln”, “ring distaff” or under the more common name of “finger distaff”. On the basis of both the archaeological rich evidence of similar artefacts and the iconographic representations of such tools on the funerary reliefs in the ancient Roman world, it is hypothesised that finger distaffs were strongly connected in a symbolical way with spinning, being an indication of the high status and virtuosity of their owners, which were often buried with them. Additionally, their practical utility will be questioned. Furthermore, the presence the above-mentioned distaff in Istros will be discussed in the context of the recent progress in the field showing clear patterns of circulation of such goods along the Empire. Therefore, we hypothesise that this find has the potential to show close links with the Aegean world due to the identification of direct analogies in Samothrace, Greece, pinpointing Scythia Minor on the regional distribution map of these tools and integrating the site in the circulation patterns that marked the Roman world in the first three centuries AD.

Archaeological Textiles Review, 2023

Dacia, 2022

A small lead truncated biconical object with a central hole, discovered in 2021 in the Roman‑peri... more A small lead truncated biconical object with a central hole, discovered in 2021 in the Roman‑period necropolis on the Plateau of Istros, but most likely originating from a Classical layer from below, is published in this paper as the first ever reported lead spindle whorl from this West Pontic Greek city. Given the abundance of similar artefacts from the Greek cities on the north‑western coast of the Black Sea and some other pieces of evidence, it is hypothesized that such objects were produced in large numbers in Istros, too, and that probably only mischance and the lack of interest towards this type of finds prevented the recovery and the publication of more lead whorls from this site. This first lead spindle whorl from Istros is a supplementary proof of the substantial similarities in the material culture of the ancient Greek cities on the western and north‑western shores of the Black Sea before the Roman conquest.

by Editura Cetatea Scaun, Opriş Vasile, Ignat Theodor, Adrian Balasescu, Monica Margarit, Mădălina Dimache, Alina Iancu, Carol Căpiță, Sorin Cleșiu, Alina (Muşat) Streinu, Dumitrescu Radu Gabriel, Mihai Dima, Viorel Petac, Aurelia Dutu, Dan Pîrvulescu, Dergaciova Lilia, Aurel Vilcu, Alina Pîrvulescu, Adriana Mihaela Roșca, Oana Borlean, Camelia-Mirela Vintila, Ovidiu Frujina, Cristina Covataru, Ioana Manea, and Theo Zavalas

Revista de Cercetări Arheologice și Numismatice, 2020

Iancu 2020_Redefining 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

Abstract: Clay spools are ubiquitous in many regions of the ancient Greek world, being associate... more Abstract:
Clay spools are ubiquitous in many regions of the ancient Greek world, being associated by archaeologists most often with textile crafts. This category of tools is controversial because the functionality of the ancient spool-shaped objects made of clay is still highly debated among scholars. Despite the large numbers of spools dating to the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods recovered from archaeological sites in Elis (e.g. Olympia, Elean Pylos, Makrysia) and in other regions of Peloponnese, as it is the Argolid and Corinthia, these objects have received much less attention than their Bronze Age counterparts. As a consequence, relatively little is understood about their modes of production, geographical distribution and functionality. This paper investigates a trait observed on the waist of several of the ancient spools from Elis and examines an ancient production technique of spools that remains quasi-unknown in the field of archaeological textiles: the moulding of spools.
Keywords: Clay spools, Textile tools, Peloponnese, Olympia, Elean, Pylos, Bivalve mould, Spool-shaped loom weights.

Resumen: Los carretes de arcilla están presentes en muchas regiones de la Antigua Grecia, siendo lo más habitual que se vinculen con la artesanía textil. No obstante, esta clase de artefactos no está libre de controversia, pues la funcionalidad de los objetos de
arcilla que adquieren esta forma de carrete es ampliamente debatida por parte de la investigación. A pesar de las grandes cantidades de carretes fechables en época arcaica, clásica y helenística que se han recuperado en varios yacimientos de la región de la Élide
(por ejemplo, en Olimpia, Elea, Pilos o Macrisia) y en otras zonas de Grecia, como la Argólide y la región de Corinto, estos objetos han recibido mucha menor atención que sus homólogos de la Edad del Bronce. Consecuentemente, es muy poco lo queue se sabe acerca de sus sistemas de producción, su distribución geográfica o su funcionalidad. Este trabajo se centra en una característica observada en varios de los antiguos carretes de la Élide y estudia una antigua técnica de producción que sigue siendo casi desconocida en el campo de las herramientas textiles en la Antigüedad: el uso de moldes para fabricarlos.
Palabras-clave: Carretes cerámicos; Herramientas textiles; Peloponeso; Olimpia; Elea; Pilos; Moldes bivalvos; Pesas de telar en forma de carrete.

CICSA Journal, 2020

Spool-shaped objects and weights made of clay were unearthed on many sites all over Europe and th... more Spool-shaped objects and weights made of clay were unearthed on many sites all over Europe and the Mediterranean, being discovered in settlements, graves, and sanctuaries or recorded as passim during surveys undertaken in less excavated areas. Not only in the pioneering age of archaeology but also recently, these classes of artefacts arose serious problems of interpretation. The present paper investigates some hypothesis regarding the function of clay spools and clay weights of pyramidal and conical shape, associated by some archaeologists
with the craft of making pottery or with cooking and fireplaces. These hypotheses will be discussed in the context of the recent progress made in the field of archaeological textiles, taking into account the complex methodology of research of clay implements which was refined in the last decades based on extensive archaeological research,
including archaeological experiments.
This contribution aims to clarify some confusions regarding the function of clay spools and clay weights, by confronting the old interpretations, often ungrounded, with the current state of research, proving that the functional parameters of an implement together with the excavation context and with the information brought by iconographic representations are definitory in accurately establishing the function of these puzzling classes of artifacts.

FASCICULI ARCHAEOLOGIAE HISTORICAE XXXI, 2018

For free download please visit http://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/publication?id=87872&tab=3 Abstract: In... more For free download please visit http://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/publication?id=87872&tab=3
Abstract: In the ancient Eastern Mediterranean and beyond, textile production was a very dynamic activity where patterns of transmission of spinning and weaving skills through women can be traced over long distances. Even if it is traditionally believed that in antiquity lives of women were not so dynamic, several literary sources give consistent proofs of the mobility
of women. For example, the “Iliad” is among the most important texts in providing instances of forced or willing migration of women highly skilled in the craft of weaving, e.g. Sidonian women brought by Paris to Troy for their craftsmanship, who made the most beautiful cloth from Hecuba’s house (Hom. Il. 6.288-305), to Hector’s vision of his wife, Andromache, carried as slave to Argos and forced to spin for her future mistress (Hom. Il. 6.454-456). The view from the archaeological and iconographic evidence is consistent with that drawn from the literary record. Thus, we can follow the literary sources supported by iconography and archaeology to identify patterns of transmission of textile crafts through women in an effort to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of textile production in the ancient Greek world.

The domain of archaeology is frequently subjected to situations when the functionality of categor... more The domain of archaeology is frequently subjected to situations when the functionality of categories of artefacts is not known and researchers find themselves on a ground of speculations and free interpretations. Just like, in a more notorious case, archaeologists interpret ancient figurines of small dimensions as dolls, toys for children or magical religious paraphernalia, ancient Greek classical „bobbins” can be interpreted as yo-yos, toys, homoerotic gifts or actual bobbins, used in textile production. The aim of this paper is to emphasize their importance and to provide a preliminary account of these objects. I also discuss the principal issues with regard to classical pottery bobbins, as they were highlighted in the available literature on the topic and I briefly refer to the larger category of the so-called ancient Greek „bobbins” made of a greater variety of materials.

Session Coordinations by Alina Iancu

30th EAA Annual Meeting in Rome, Italy 28 - 31 August 2024, 2024

Since always textiles have been a necessity for daily protection, social display, home furnishing... more Since always textiles have been a necessity for daily protection, social display, home furnishing, transportation, war logistics and various other purposes. Even though textiles only survive under extreme environmental conditions, many archaeological finds bear witness to these indispensable goods as well as to the craft itself. Finds such as fragmentary preserved fabrics, textiles mineralised on metal objects, carbonised fibres and textile imprints provide data on the quality and type of materials and techniques used to produce textiles in the past. In addition, a wealth of tools offers insights into the technologies used by prehistoric and ancient craftspeople to process the raw fibres into finished textile products.
Even though textiles were crucial to past societies, they are less represented in archaeological publications than other finds. One of the reasons for this could be their gender-specific character. For decades, they were thought to be the result of a modest domestic craft, mainly practised by women. Other reasons are the general lack of interest in the subject and the lack of knowledge about such objects. As a result, the publication of textiles and textile-related tools is still prone to confusion and misinterpretation.
Recent advances in the field of archaeological textiles provide good reasons for a reassessment of the old literature and for an in-depth analysis of how professionals in archaeology might approach and better publish textile-related artefacts in the future. We call on both archaeologists and textile experts to share their insights into the history of recording textile artefacts, and to suggest new methodologies to integrate these finds into general archaeological publications with the same consistency as other finds. We are also interested in producing, if possible, a short and comprehensive step-by-step guide with basic information on how to correctly record, describe, illustrate and publish textiles and textile tools in archaeology.

EAA Annual Meeting 2022 - Session #232 - , 2022

Textile Heritage is a major component of the European Cultural Heritage, consisting of both archa... more Textile Heritage is a major component of the European Cultural Heritage, consisting of both archaeological remains and historical and ethnographic textiles. It includes both material heritage - from fabrics, utilitarian textiles and garments to tools and even workshops specialised in textile production - and immaterial heritage, namely traditional textile crafts.
In the last decades, textile research developed into a major field of research within the heritage sector. This impulse, coupled with the development of Digital Humanities as a new horizon for research and dissemination, has generated a strong necessity to create digital databases of textile heritage that might contribute to achieve new insights into European History and to foster an inclusive European identity based on a shared heritage. Exploring the shared experience of textiles at the European level could indeed foster a sense of belonging and social cohesion.
In this session, promoted by COST Action EuroWeb - Europe through Textiles (CA19131), we aim to gather together students, scholars and other stakeholders from academia, museums, the conservation sector and cultural institutions, as well as creative industries which would like to share data and experiences on:

the online storage of textile resources in heritage databases, online catalogues and galleries that feature textiles;
strategies of textile mapping, including the process of data selection and organisation, as well as the storage, processing, interpretation, and presentation of records;
good practices on textile recording and textile data sharing in an online, accessible format;
establishing a dialogue between researchers, practitioners and a broader audience of textile enthusiasts to deepen the current knowledge and to popularise textiles across Europe.

We strongly invite participants to include in their presentations case studies such as national databases, sites, galleries, forums, libraries and pages dedicated to textiles and textile resources.