Archaeological Textiles – A Need for New Methods of Analysis and Reconstruction (original) (raw)
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Reconstruction of archaeological textiles
Archaeological textiles are usually only fragmentarily preserved, colourless, and thus hard to appreciate and understand, even for specialists. Producing replicas of archaeological textile finds can be done on a loom. However, this approach is not always possible. This paper presents a new approach consisting in the application of computer graphics methods for the reconstruction of archaeological textiles on the basis of detailed structural and physicochemical analysis. Methods visualising different types of textile structures are described. They were applied to exemplary textile finds from the Roman period found during excavations in the area of Poland. . Six shots from a film illustrating the way the prachtmantel was worn.
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Archaeological textile studies are now recognized as a robust source of information for anthropological inquiry. Over the last decade several important developments have taken place, enabling an integrated approach to the study of archaeological textiles. Topics range from the development of analytical methods for the analysis of degraded fibers to the comparative study of specific histories of textile and clothing traditions. Archaeological textile studies address relevant issues ranging from aesthetics and style to gender; from technological development to production and exchange economics. This chapter presents an overview of current research in the growing field of archaeological textile studies. Both Old World and New World textile projects are examined, allowing for a balanced assessment of the various directions which have been taken in methodology, research objectives, and data procurement.
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Interdisciplinary research conducted by archaeologists increasingly includes not only archaeometry, anthropology and history, but also explorations of museum collections, which provide valuable reference material for objects and fragments found during excavations. Archaeological textiles are usually poorly preserved and, beyond the basic data and archaeological context, they are difficult materials to study and reconstruct. Comparative material for these objects may be found among material preserved in museums and other historical collections. This underestimated source of knowledge, when properly used, can facilitate greater insight into archaeological textiles, as demonstrated here. This paper shows examples of the reconstruction of textiles, whose original appearance was determined through analysis of similar objects in museum collections. Among them are textiles reconstructed for exhibitions, as well as furnishing fabrics for historical interiors, including woven wall coverings for Herbst Palace Museum in Łódź.
Visual Textiles: A Study of Appearance and Visual Impression in Archaeological Textiles
Does it matter how textiles look? A study of appearance is also a study in the language of form. In modern archaeology and sociology, studies of the language of form in textiles and clothing have been a means not only of understanding processes of communication between groups and individuals but also of examining the origin and function of a certain fabric. 1 Sometimes, the appearance of a fabric seems just as important in signalling social status as the form or shape of a garment. Traditionally, technical research in textiles has concentrated on aspects such as raw materials (for example, flax or wool), twist direction of the yarn, weave, thread count, and characteristics such as weaving faults and different kinds of borders. This method has been used to classify archaeological textiles into types. Unfortunately, We are very grateful to the Nordic Culture Fund for its generous contribution toward this study. In addition, we would like to thank Lödöse Museum for its support and we commend its kind and helpful staff. We also owe a debt of gratitude to the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo and Turku Provincial Museum for their kind and understanding attitude toward our research. Finally, thanks to Lise Bender Jørgensen and Jette Sidelmann for support and constructive comments during the preparation of this study.