Craftspeople, craftsmanship and textile production in the Early Bronze Age Greece (original) (raw)

Prehistoric textile production continues to attract the interest of scholars studying the remains of textiles, as well as textile tools made of various materials, particularly clay, stone and bone. From Early Bronze Age Greece (the 3rd millennium BC) no actual fabrics have, however, been preserved, thus textile research can only investigate the numerous implements used in their production, primarily found in the settlements. The aim of this paper is to discuss craftsmanship in Early Bronze Greece (particularly the Peloponnese). New insights regarding the use of fibres, textile tools, changes and innovations of techniques and implements, and the organisation of manufacture will be presented. The textile tools commonly preserved at many sites display various qualities and methods of production, from ‘home-made’ to standardised, and it seems that in some cases (especially in EBA II) they may have been made by professional craftsmen and widely distributed. In other cases they were rather made for private use. By analysing the archaeological contexts of such finds (especially spindle whorls, loom weights, bone and metal objects) it is to a certain extent possible to reconstruct patterns in their use, for example regarding the working areas and the organisation of textile manufacture. There is no secure evidence for textile workshops in this period, but domestic manufacture seems to be more probable than professional or attached production. On account of the wide range of spindle whorls and loom weights attested, it is probable, as far as the types and dimensions are concerned, that textile craftspeople developed specialised skills in the manufacturing of yarns of various thickness and quality, and textiles of diverse quality, patterns and weaves, according to their needs or the requirements of the market, whether it was local or part of wider trade routes.