Carol Bier, Book Review - Designing Identity: The Power of Textiles in Late Antiquity, ed. Thelma K. Thomas (2016) (original) (raw)
Related papers
Greek and Roman textiles and dress : an interdisciplinary anthology
Oxbow Books, 2014
Greek and roman textiles and dress : an interdisciplinary anthology / edited by mary Harlow and marielouise nosch. pages cm.-(ancient textiles series ; Vol. 19) This anthology is the second volume of two which group interdisciplinary contributions to the field of textile research. The first volume is Mary Harlow, Cécile Michel & Marie-Louise Nosch (eds), Prehistoric, ancient near eastern and aegean Textiles and dress: an interdisciplinary anthology. includes bibliographical references and index. isBn 978-1-78297-715-5 (alk. paper) 1. Textile fabrics, ancient-Greece. 2. Textile fabrics, roman. 3. Clothing and dress-Greece-History-To 500. 4. Clothing and dress-rome. i. Harlow, mary, 1956-editor. ii. nosch, marie-louise, editor. nk8907.3G74 2015 746.0938-dc23 2014039326 all rights reserved. no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher in writing.
2022
Following the growth in textile studies over the past decade, we aim to present a comprehensive update of the state-of-the-art summarised in the seminal 2010 paper “Old Textiles – New Possibilities” by E. Andersson Strand, K. M. Frei, M. Gleba, U. Mannering, M.-L. Nosch and I. Skals. The diverse developments of the last decade, along with the increased recognition of the importance of textile studies in adjacent fields, now merit a dedicated, full-length publication entitled “Ancient Textile Production from an Interdisciplinary Perspective: Humanities and Natural Sciences Interwoven for our Understanding of Textiles”. With this volume, we also wish to illustrate the current impact of textile archaeology on the scholarly perception of the past (not limited to archaeology alone). The volume presents new insights into the consumption, meaning, use and re-use of textiles and dyes, all of which are topics of growing importance in textile research. As indicated by the title, we demonstrate the continued importance of interdisciplinarity by showcasing several ‘interwoven’ approaches to environmental and archaeological remains, textual and iconographic sources, archaeological experiments and ethnographic data, from a large area covering Europe and the Mediterranean, Near East, Africa and Asia. The chronological span is deliberately wide, including materials dating from c. 6th millennium BCE to c. mid-14th century CE.
Abundance and splendour: textiles of Archaic Greek statues of young women (korai)
Harris, S. Brøns, C. & Żuchowska. M. (eds.) Textiles in Ancient Mediterranean Iconography, Ancient Textiles Series Vol. 38, 2022
The statues of young women in sixth century BCE Greece are remarkable for their elaborate textile clothing. Despite this, the evidence from representations of textiles is frequently dismissed because the clothing portrayed is considered too unreliable and confusing to interpret. This paper seeks to redress this issue by identifying the type, number and quality of textiles represented as garments on these famous statues. It considers the history of research that led to this lack of clarity and assesses the textiles on statues in the light of the archaeological evidence. The results demonstrate the quality and quantity of textiles worn in these outfits and lead to a wider discussion of the significance of these abundant and splendid materials.
Ras Shamra/Ugarit contributes top textual and archaeological data to the study of the manufacture and use of textiles in the Levant in the Late Bronze Age. Texts provide information on various industrial and artisan crafts regarding textile industry whereas the exploitation of archaeological data remains still at an early stage. It is nowadays essential for investigation work to combine both perspectives: textual and material and to contrast the analysis of archaeological and iconographic documentation with written sources. The workshop held in Copenhagen gave the opportunity to investigate the documentation related to textiles in ritual and cultic practices. V. Matoïan, in collaboration with J.-P. Vita, studied the ritual texts (less than ten) which mention—with greater or lesser certainty—textile offerings to divinities as well as two administrative texts which complement and extend the information provided by ritual texts regarding garments for the statues of gods. Then, they investigated iconographical evidence, specially the figures of veiled women (priestess, queen, goddess ?).
Textiles & Identity in the Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean
Vera-Simone Schulz, Amanda Phillips, Nikolaos Vryzidis, Elena Papastavrou, Dickran Kouymjian, LAURA RODRIGUEZ PEINADO, Anna Ballian, Marielle Martiniani-Reber, MARIA SARDI, Ana Cabrera Lafuente, Jacopo Gnisci
Textiles & Identity in the Medieval and Εarly Modern Mediterranean: paradigms of contexts and cross-cultural exchanges Textiles offer a rich opportunity to explore the projection of identity, both within and between social and cultural groups. A pertinent arena for such an exploration is the intercultural region of the Mediterranean. This workshop will bring together a group of junior and senior scholars to investigate and elucidate the role of textiles in the cultures of the Medieval and early Modern Mediterranean, and its periphery, with a focus on specific case studies. Our investigation will analyze textiles as tools for projecting identity within specific contexts, whether cross-cultural or not. Institutionalized practices of textile use and reuse, written and unwritten rules governing ceremonial use, the departure from standard practices, the active reception of imports and their interpretation will form the major topics examined by the participating scholars. Our directed investigation will seek to identity parallels and points of contact between the use of textiles in various political entities, and among social groups and cultures. Program 3 June 2016 Venue: Museum of Islamic Art, 22 Ag. Asomaton & 12 Dipylou St., Athens Welcoming remarks 9:30 John Bennet, British School at Athens 9:40 Mina Moraitou, Benaki Museum Opening remarks 9:50 Nikolaos Vryzidis, British School at Athens 1. Medieval Islamic textiles in the Eastern Mediterranean 10:00 Alison Ohta, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland: Chair 10:10 Scott Redford, SOAS-University of London: ‘Seljuk silks, standards and emblems’ 10:30 Marielle Martiniani-Reber, Musées d’Art et d’Histoire de Genève: ‘The relationship between Islamic and Byzantine textiles during the Middle Byzantine period’ 10: 50 Maria Sardi, SOAS-University of London: ‘Towards a standardization of Mamluk aesthetic: influences and identity as reflected on textiles’ 11:10 Discussion 11:30 Coffee break 2. Western Mediterranean cross-cultural encounters 11:40 Mina Moraitou, Benaki Museum: Chair 11: 50 Ana Cabrera, Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas & Laura Rodríguez Peinado, Universidad Complutense de Madrid: ‘Medieval Textiles from the Iberian Peninsula: state of the art and new approaches of study’ 12:20 Vera-Simone Schulz, Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz: ‘Entangled Identities: Textiles and the Art and Architecture of the Italian Peninsula in a Mediterranean Perspective’ 12:40 Discussion 13:00 Lunch break 3. The multi-cultural Ottoman Empire 14:00 Helen Philon, Independent scholar: Chair 14:10 Anna Ballian, Benaki Museum (Emerita): ‘Chios silks’ 14:30 Amanda Philips, University of Virginia: ‘Interventions in technology and fashion: the case of Ottoman compound weaves’ 14:50 Elena Papastavrou, Hellenic Ministry of Culture & Sports: ‘Greek-Orthodox cultural identity as reflected on Constantinopolitan Church Embroidery’ 15:10 Discussion 15:30 Coffee break 4. Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christian textiles 15:40 Warren Woodfin, City University of New York: Chair 15:50 Dickran Kouymjian, California State University-Fresno (Emeritus): ‘Armenian Altar Curtains: Repository of Tradition and Innovation’ 16:10 Nikolaos Vryzidis, British School at Athens: ‘Animal motifs on Asian silks used by the Greek Church: an afterlife of Byzantine iconography?’ 16: 30 Jacopo Gnisci, Independent scholar: ‘Towards a History of Ecclesiastical Dress in Early Solomonic Ethiopia’ 16:50 Discussion General discussion and concluding remarks 17:10 Nikolaos Vryzidis, British School at Athens End 4 June 2016 Study day (attendance by invitation only) 10:00-13:00 Handling session (Benaki Museum Peiraios annex), hosted by Mina Moraitou 15:00 Museum visit (Benaki Museum main building), hosted by Anastasia Drandaki End
Introduction: Fashioned Selves, Dress and Identity in Antiquity
Fashioned Selves: Dress and Identity in Antiquity, 2019
Fashioned Fashioned Fashioned Selves www.oxbowbooks.com e study of dress in antiquity has expanded in recent years, evolving from investigations of costume and ethnicity in ancient art and texts, to historical analyses of textiles and their production, to broader studies of the social roles of dressed bodies in ancient cultural contexts. is volume emerges from sessions at the Annual Meetings of the American Schools of Oriental Research in 2016 and 2017, as well as sessions relating to ancient dress at the Annual Meetings of the Archaeological Institute of America in 2018. e collected essays bring overlapping bodies of evidence into play, including physical markings on the body, durable goods related to dressed bodies in archaeological contexts, dress as represented in the visual arts, as well as in texts. Examining materials from a range of geographic and chronological contexts including the prehistoric Caucasus, Iran, Mesopotamia, Syria and the Levant, the Aegean, Greece, the Roman world and Late Antique Central Asia, this volume takes as its starting point that dress does not simply function as a static expression of identity or status, inscribed on the body to be "read" by others, but is a dynamic component in the construction, embodiment, performance and transformation of identity. Taken together, these essays highlight the myriad ways in which dress mediates relationships and identities. Whether considering kings or queens, religious practitioners or worshippers, ordinary people or those at the lowest echelons of society, these essays argue that dress is the way human beings layer material identities onto the body. e persons that we see and engage with in the world, the identities that we cra and observe, are in every sense fashioned selves. Megan Cifarelli (PhD, Columbia University) is a Professor of Visual Studies and Art History at Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY. Her research focuses on the visual and material cultures of ancient Iran and Iraq in the rst millennium BCE, from expressions of Assyrian imperial ideology in large scale relief sculptures to the cultural e ects of powerful empires on societies at their margins. is is her second edited volume on the study of ancient dress.