A. Ulanowska, M. Siennicka and M. Grupa, Dynamics and Organisation of Textile Production in Past Societies in Europe and the Mediterranean, 21-22 June 2017, Łódź, Poland – session report, ATR 59, 2017, 93-95 (original) (raw)

A number of studies over the last decades have considerably increased our knowledge about production and trade of woollen textiles during the Bronze Age in the Near East, the Aegean, and continental Europe. In the wider Mediterranean area, thanks to the abundance of available evidence, it has been possible to use the concept of wool economy as a frame of reference to define the complex mechanisms behind production and trade of wool. The main aim of this paper is to reflect upon using the concept of wool economy to enhance our understanding of the relevant archaeological evidence from Bronze Age continental Europe.

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DOI 10.23858/FAH31.2018.003, please also visit http://rcin.org.pl/dlibra/docmetadata?id=67581&from=publication for free download -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract: This paper scrutinises the iconography of patterned textiles in Bronze Age Greece as a potential source of technical knowledge of the patterning and weaving techniques. The variety of patterns on costumes depicted in Xeste 3, Akrotiri, Thera is a case study, examined in close relation to the textile technology available at the time, evidence of archaeological textiles from Greece and Akrotiri, and experimental reconstructions of the depicted patterns in weaving. By analysing several specific features of the painted and woven patterns, a critical overview of the possible techniques of manufacturing patterned textiles is presented. It is argued that there is little possibility of identifying a specific technique of patterning or weaving, on the basis of the Aegean iconography. However, specific features of the painted patterns seem to imitate in a great detail the appearance of the woven patterns. Therefore, it is argued that the wall painters were generally aware of the technical details of actual textiles and that it was important for them to attain a veracity in the rendering of the patterns.

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The kingdom of Meroe (300 BCE – 350 CE) developed a truly unique textile tradition, represented by hundreds of preserved fabrics, tools and iconographic representations. Together, this vast body of historical data provides a great opportunity to study the patterns of textile production and consumption in the Meroitic society. This paper will first focus on restoring the textile implements to their archaeological locations in order to identify the different contexts and scales of textile manufacturing, primarily spinning and weaving. Far from homogenous, the Meroitic textile industry reflected the social complexity and the ethnic diversity of the kingdom. The paper’s second part will thus relate the settlement data on textile production to the finished products – fabrics and clothing – discovered in graves and depicted on reliefs and statues, thereby linking the textiles to the individuals using them. The role of the administrative and religious elite will particularly be discussed, both as commissioners and consumers of specific textile goods, as well as official relays in a state-controlled industry.

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.

This paper examines the engagement with the materiality of textiles and textile crafts in Roman poetry. Through close readings of Ausonius’ Epigrams and Silius Italicus’ epic on the Punic war, informed by archaeological evidence and reconstructions of ancient weaving, the paper demonstrates that male Roman authors display significant knowledge of the practicalities of contemporary textile work and its range of sensory experiences. The paper explains the basis for this knowledge by drawing on archaeological evidence for shared use of domestic space, but in contrast to previous studies on shared space utilisation and crafts, emphasis is placed on the childhood experiences both of male and female children in elite households. The paper proposes that training undertaken by girls of such families impacts considerably on male members of the household and underpins the technical knowledge displayed in literary descriptions of textile work.

The aim of the conference (7th-8th May 2015) is to present and discuss recent achievements in the research field of the most ancient textiles and textile techniques in primarily Europe and Asia in the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age (ca. 8th-3rd millennia BC); the application of varied interdisciplinary methods of systematic analysis of textiles, such as studies on the most ancient textile remains, basketry, mat and textile imprints in clay; textile tools (e.g. spindle whorls, loom weights, spinning bowls); experiments with copies of ancient textile implements; and recently developed scientific methods of analysing textiles and recognising the provenience of fibres. These all offer important insights into the oldest textile techniques, their beginnings and development throughout prehistory.