M. Bravermanová, H. Březinová and J. Malcolm-Davies, eds., Archaeological Textiles - Links Between Past and Present. NESAT XIII, 2017
Yarns form the basis of most textiles, making spinning the cornerstone technique for almost all o... more Yarns form the basis of most textiles, making spinning the cornerstone technique for almost all other textile techniques. Yet, historical spinning is still not fully understood. Early depictions of spinners show a very different body stance and spindle position to those in medieval and early modern spinning images, while modern handspinning hobbyists spin in yet another pose. This paper discusses the differences between modern and medieval spinning, the use of various kinds of distaffs, the influence of spinning techniques on the yarn, and the influence of yarn characteristics on woven fabrics.
Das 2008-2011 vom Österreichischen Wissenschaftsfonds geförderte Projekt „HallTex FWF“ („Dyeing t... more Das 2008-2011 vom Österreichischen Wissenschaftsfonds geförderte Projekt „HallTex FWF“ („Dyeing techniques of the prehistoric texti les from the salt mine of Hallstatt – analysis, experiments and inspiration for contemporary application“, FWF Translational-Research-Programm L 431 -G02) beschäftigt sich mit den Färbetechniken der prähistorischen Texti l ien aus dem Salzbergwerk in Hallstatt (HOFMANN-DE KEIJZER, HARTL 2009). Eingebunden in das Projekt sind folgende Institutionen: die Universität für angewandte Kunst mit den Instituten für Kunst und Technologie/Archäometrie und für Kunstwissenschaft, Kunstpädagogik und Kunstvermittlung/Texti l , die Universität für Bodenkultur mit dem Institut für ökologischen Landbau, die Prähistorische Abteilung des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien und die Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands. Das Projekt gl iederte sich in drei Bereiche. Ein wesentl iches Teilgebiet des Projekts ist die naturwissenschaftl iche Analyse der prähistorischen Texti ...
Dyeing, especially in bright, intense colours, has been one of the methods used to embellish text... more Dyeing, especially in bright, intense colours, has been one of the methods used to embellish textiles and add to their value. A considerable dyeing industry can be shown to have existed in Pompeii. The city of Pompeii was destroyed in a volcanic eruption in AD 79, but its remains were preserved in situ (after Allison 1992). This includes six dyeing workshops (Moeller 1976). The six workshops, together contained between them, forty apparatus consisting of a kettle in a brick or rubble and mortar surround to house a fire for heating the kettle (A survey was undertaken in 1994; Robinson and Janaway, unpublished). The kettles were supported by a ring of material which their bottom edge rested on; thereby leaving most of the kettle bottom unsupported. The dyeing apparatus were extensively researched by Hopkins (2007, 2008) to gain a better understanding of the scale of industry.
In 2009, a spinning experiment was undertaken with the aim of evaluating the possible influences ... more In 2009, a spinning experiment was undertaken with the aim of evaluating the possible influences of spindle, fibre and spinner on the resulting yarn when spinning with a bottom-whorl drop-spindle as commonly used in Middle European regions. Fourteen spinners participated, spinning two wool types on five different spindle types, resulting in a total of 140 spun samples. The yarns spun during the experiment were analysed using traditional quality assessment methods for the textile industry (measuring length and mass, and using visual survey cards), traditional hand-spinners’ methods (wraps of yarn over a given length of a dowel) as well as an image analysis programme to evaluate yarn diameter and yarn evenness, two properties that are difficult to measure using the classic methods. The results show that the dominant factor influencing the yarn was the individual spinner; neither whorl mass, nor whorl moment of inertia, nor fibre did influence the spun yarn significantly.
Mitteilungen Der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 2004
Finds of needles with spherical heads and spirals in the cemetery of Hallstatt and pictures espec... more Finds of needles with spherical heads and spirals in the cemetery of Hallstatt and pictures especially of the ,,Situlenkunst" were the origin for experimental archaeological trials aimed in the reconstruction of the hairstyles and fashion of veils in the Hallstatt period. Therefore some different arrangements of hairstyles with and without veils were made and brought into relation with the original finds.
Journal for construction and Experiment in Archaeology, 2010
Working in historical textile craft s can be a very lonely aff air. While textile in historical t... more Working in historical textile craft s can be a very lonely aff air. While textile in historical times was undoubtedly the most important means to show off wealth and taste – as witnessed by pictures, texts, inventories and surviving textile works – the occupation with textile craft s in modern times has gained a somewhat demeaning reputation. Textile work is oft en seen as an undemanding pastime for frustrated housewives and the like. Th is view of textile craft s as something low in both status and material worth is further advanced by today’s very cheap mass-produced textiles and clothing. Th is view is also advanced by a phenomenon regarding historical events, where badly made textile wares, made using inappropriate materials and much simplifi ed historical techniques, can be found on off er for little more than the cost of their materials.
Chapter 8 in 'Ancient Textiles, Modern Science II'. The dyeing kettles in Pompeii... more Chapter 8 in 'Ancient Textiles, Modern Science II'. The dyeing kettles in Pompeii were made from lead. Given how fragile lead is, this was anomalous from an engineering perspective - the kettles had to withstand high temperature and the weight of water to allow dyeing, which lead is unable to do. This was confirmed when finding evidence of 'lead creep' in the surviving kettles. A mordant is the 'chemical glue' that binds a dye to a material, allowing dyeing. Once mordanted a material should not be affected by the metal a dyeing kettle has been manufactured from. This highlights further the anomaly of manufacturing kettles from lead. A simulation of mordant and dyeing in metal kettles accessible to dyers in Pompeii was undertaken. This discovered that each metal interfered chemically with the mordanting process, the dyeing process and, when attempted sequentially, with the mordanting and dyeing process. The greatest effect was during dyeing. It was discovered that the only metal to not have a negative effect on the dye chemistry was lead, the 'neutral kettle'. Oxidised lead was found more beneficial than lead. Prior to this study it had been thought that mordanted material would be unaffected by the dyeing kettle. This experiment showed that the material can be affected at any stage of the process and that the dyers in Pompeii had chosen lead, despite its physical disadvantages, due to its chemical properties. These were entirely new findings.
M. Bravermanová, H. Březinová and J. Malcolm-Davies, eds., Archaeological Textiles - Links Between Past and Present. NESAT XIII, 2017
Yarns form the basis of most textiles, making spinning the cornerstone technique for almost all o... more Yarns form the basis of most textiles, making spinning the cornerstone technique for almost all other textile techniques. Yet, historical spinning is still not fully understood. Early depictions of spinners show a very different body stance and spindle position to those in medieval and early modern spinning images, while modern handspinning hobbyists spin in yet another pose. This paper discusses the differences between modern and medieval spinning, the use of various kinds of distaffs, the influence of spinning techniques on the yarn, and the influence of yarn characteristics on woven fabrics.
Das 2008-2011 vom Österreichischen Wissenschaftsfonds geförderte Projekt „HallTex FWF“ („Dyeing t... more Das 2008-2011 vom Österreichischen Wissenschaftsfonds geförderte Projekt „HallTex FWF“ („Dyeing techniques of the prehistoric texti les from the salt mine of Hallstatt – analysis, experiments and inspiration for contemporary application“, FWF Translational-Research-Programm L 431 -G02) beschäftigt sich mit den Färbetechniken der prähistorischen Texti l ien aus dem Salzbergwerk in Hallstatt (HOFMANN-DE KEIJZER, HARTL 2009). Eingebunden in das Projekt sind folgende Institutionen: die Universität für angewandte Kunst mit den Instituten für Kunst und Technologie/Archäometrie und für Kunstwissenschaft, Kunstpädagogik und Kunstvermittlung/Texti l , die Universität für Bodenkultur mit dem Institut für ökologischen Landbau, die Prähistorische Abteilung des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien und die Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands. Das Projekt gl iederte sich in drei Bereiche. Ein wesentl iches Teilgebiet des Projekts ist die naturwissenschaftl iche Analyse der prähistorischen Texti ...
Dyeing, especially in bright, intense colours, has been one of the methods used to embellish text... more Dyeing, especially in bright, intense colours, has been one of the methods used to embellish textiles and add to their value. A considerable dyeing industry can be shown to have existed in Pompeii. The city of Pompeii was destroyed in a volcanic eruption in AD 79, but its remains were preserved in situ (after Allison 1992). This includes six dyeing workshops (Moeller 1976). The six workshops, together contained between them, forty apparatus consisting of a kettle in a brick or rubble and mortar surround to house a fire for heating the kettle (A survey was undertaken in 1994; Robinson and Janaway, unpublished). The kettles were supported by a ring of material which their bottom edge rested on; thereby leaving most of the kettle bottom unsupported. The dyeing apparatus were extensively researched by Hopkins (2007, 2008) to gain a better understanding of the scale of industry.
In 2009, a spinning experiment was undertaken with the aim of evaluating the possible influences ... more In 2009, a spinning experiment was undertaken with the aim of evaluating the possible influences of spindle, fibre and spinner on the resulting yarn when spinning with a bottom-whorl drop-spindle as commonly used in Middle European regions. Fourteen spinners participated, spinning two wool types on five different spindle types, resulting in a total of 140 spun samples. The yarns spun during the experiment were analysed using traditional quality assessment methods for the textile industry (measuring length and mass, and using visual survey cards), traditional hand-spinners’ methods (wraps of yarn over a given length of a dowel) as well as an image analysis programme to evaluate yarn diameter and yarn evenness, two properties that are difficult to measure using the classic methods. The results show that the dominant factor influencing the yarn was the individual spinner; neither whorl mass, nor whorl moment of inertia, nor fibre did influence the spun yarn significantly.
Mitteilungen Der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 2004
Finds of needles with spherical heads and spirals in the cemetery of Hallstatt and pictures espec... more Finds of needles with spherical heads and spirals in the cemetery of Hallstatt and pictures especially of the ,,Situlenkunst" were the origin for experimental archaeological trials aimed in the reconstruction of the hairstyles and fashion of veils in the Hallstatt period. Therefore some different arrangements of hairstyles with and without veils were made and brought into relation with the original finds.
Journal for construction and Experiment in Archaeology, 2010
Working in historical textile craft s can be a very lonely aff air. While textile in historical t... more Working in historical textile craft s can be a very lonely aff air. While textile in historical times was undoubtedly the most important means to show off wealth and taste – as witnessed by pictures, texts, inventories and surviving textile works – the occupation with textile craft s in modern times has gained a somewhat demeaning reputation. Textile work is oft en seen as an undemanding pastime for frustrated housewives and the like. Th is view of textile craft s as something low in both status and material worth is further advanced by today’s very cheap mass-produced textiles and clothing. Th is view is also advanced by a phenomenon regarding historical events, where badly made textile wares, made using inappropriate materials and much simplifi ed historical techniques, can be found on off er for little more than the cost of their materials.
Chapter 8 in 'Ancient Textiles, Modern Science II'. The dyeing kettles in Pompeii... more Chapter 8 in 'Ancient Textiles, Modern Science II'. The dyeing kettles in Pompeii were made from lead. Given how fragile lead is, this was anomalous from an engineering perspective - the kettles had to withstand high temperature and the weight of water to allow dyeing, which lead is unable to do. This was confirmed when finding evidence of 'lead creep' in the surviving kettles. A mordant is the 'chemical glue' that binds a dye to a material, allowing dyeing. Once mordanted a material should not be affected by the metal a dyeing kettle has been manufactured from. This highlights further the anomaly of manufacturing kettles from lead. A simulation of mordant and dyeing in metal kettles accessible to dyers in Pompeii was undertaken. This discovered that each metal interfered chemically with the mordanting process, the dyeing process and, when attempted sequentially, with the mordanting and dyeing process. The greatest effect was during dyeing. It was discovered that the only metal to not have a negative effect on the dye chemistry was lead, the 'neutral kettle'. Oxidised lead was found more beneficial than lead. Prior to this study it had been thought that mordanted material would be unaffected by the dyeing kettle. This experiment showed that the material can be affected at any stage of the process and that the dyers in Pompeii had chosen lead, despite its physical disadvantages, due to its chemical properties. These were entirely new findings.
The salt mine at Hallstatt in Austria is known for its rich organic finds from the middle Bronze ... more The salt mine at Hallstatt in Austria is known for its rich organic finds from the middle Bronze (1600-1200 BC) and early Iron Age (Hallstatt Period, c. 800-400 BC), including wood, fur, leather, tree bast and textiles. Hallstatt presents a unique situation, and the textiles found there allow us to study in detail the development of textile technology in the period from 1500 to 400 BC. Among the narrow fabrics there are two fragments which were made using braiding techniques. In the present article, we will discuss different braiding techniques and explore the possibility of tracing the fragments back to an early version of loop braiding.
Presented by Aboli Vavle at ASUK 2019, 24-26th April 2019
The extent of the textiles indust... more Presented by Aboli Vavle at ASUK 2019, 24-26th April 2019
The extent of the textiles industry at Pompeii is debated in current literature. Furthermore, the influence of the kettle, mordant, dyes, yarn thickness, cloth, water, etc is poorly understood. In this study an experimental archaeological replicate of the Pompeii dyeing vats were reproduced. Wool yarn was mordanted with alum, then dyed with fresh birch leaves. Simulation of different metal kettles was then achieved by the additional of metal plates, including copper, lead, oxidised lead and iron. Wool fibres were then measured using high power microscopy and SEM-XRD. Wool sample have been buried in anoxic conditions, where physical and chemical hydrolysis is expected to occur, as the textile is degraded into smaller fragments. Physical biodegradation caused by microorganisms causes disruption of the microstructure which can be seen using the SEM. The first results of this investigation will be presented.
J. Banck-Burgess & C. Nübold (eds.), NESAT XI. The North European Symposium for Archaeological Textiles XI, 10. –13. Mai 2011 in Esslingen am Neckar. Verlag Marie Leidorf GmbH, Rahden/Westf. 85–92
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Books by Katrin Kania
Papers by Katrin Kania
EXARC Journal Digest 2014, Issue 2, pp 6-9.
http://exarc.net/history/exarc-journal-digest-2014-autumn-printed
Experiment undertaken at Textilforum 2013, hosted at LEA, Mayen, Germany, Sept 2013. http://www.lea.rgzm.de/
EXARC Journal Digest 2014, Issue 2, pp 6-9.
http://exarc.net/history/exarc-journal-digest-2014-autumn-printed
Experiment undertaken at Textilforum 2013, hosted at LEA, Mayen, Germany, Sept 2013. http://www.lea.rgzm.de/
Among the narrow fabrics there are two fragments which were made using braiding techniques. In the present article, we will discuss different braiding techniques and explore the possibility of tracing the fragments back to an early version of loop braiding.
The extent of the textiles industry at Pompeii is debated in current literature. Furthermore, the influence of the kettle, mordant, dyes, yarn thickness, cloth, water, etc is poorly understood. In this study an experimental archaeological replicate of the Pompeii dyeing vats were reproduced. Wool yarn was mordanted with alum, then dyed with fresh birch leaves. Simulation of different metal kettles was then achieved by the additional of metal plates, including copper, lead, oxidised lead and iron. Wool fibres were then measured using high power microscopy and SEM-XRD. Wool sample have been buried in anoxic conditions, where physical and chemical hydrolysis is expected to occur, as the textile is degraded into smaller fragments. Physical biodegradation caused by microorganisms causes disruption of the microstructure which can be seen using the SEM. The first results of this investigation will be presented.