Margarita Gleba
University of Padova, Dipartimento dei beni culturali, Faculty Member
- Archaeology, Archaeological Science, Archaeometry, Archaeology of pre-Roman Italy, Classical Archaeology, Prehistoric Technology, and 27 moreAncient Technology (Archaeology), Textile Archaeology, 1st Millennium BC (Archaeology), Weving Technology, Ancient Civilization (Archaeology), Dress and Personal Adornment (Archaeology), Material Science, Classical Near East, Zooarchaeology, Bioarchaeology, Cultural Anthropology, Archaeological Chemistry, Biomolecular archaeology, Anthropology, Anthropology of Technology, Material Culture Studies, Dress and the Body, Biology, History, Kurgans, Roman Archaeology, Archaeological textiles and clothing, Ancient Textiles, Etruscan studies, History of Textiles, Etruscan Archaeology, and Archaeological textilesedit
- I am an archaeologist specialising in pre- and protohistory of the Mediterranean region, archaeology of textiles and ... moreI am an archaeologist specialising in pre- and protohistory of the Mediterranean region, archaeology of textiles and other organic materials, and the use of scientific methods in archaeology. I was research project manager at the DNRF Centre for Textile Research (2005-2009), Marie Curie Fellow at the Institute of Archaeology University College London (2009-2011), principal investigator of the ERC project PROCON (2013-2018) and lecturer at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (2019-2020). I am currently Associate Professor at the University of Padua.edit
Large and complex settlements appeared across the north Mediterranean during the period 1000–500 bc, from the Aegean basin to Iberia, as well as north of the Alps. The region also became considerably more interconnected. Urban life and... more
Large and complex settlements appeared across the north Mediterranean during the period 1000–500 bc, from the Aegean basin to Iberia, as well as north of the Alps. The region also became considerably more interconnected. Urban life and networks fostered new consumption practices, requiring different economic and social structures to sustain them. This book considers the emergence of cities in Mediterranean Europe, with a focus on the economy. What was distinctive about urban lifeways across the Mediterranean? How did different economic activities interact, and how did they transform power hierarchies? How was urbanism sustained by economic structures, social relations and mobility? The authors bring to the debate recently excavated sites and regions that may be unfamiliar to wider (especially Anglophone) scholarship, alongside fresh reappraisals of well-known cities. The variety of urban life, economy and local dynamics prompts us to reconsider ancient urbanism through a comparative perspective.
Research Interests: Urbanism (Archaeology), Sardinia (Archaeology), Ancient economies (Archaeology), Urbanization, Iron Age Iberian Peninsula (Archaeology), and 9 moreArchaeology of the Iberian Peninsula, Ancient Technology (Archaeology), Urbanisation, Protohistoric Iberian Peninsula, Archeologia Siciliana, Classics: Ancient History and Archaeology, Prehistoric Mediterranean Archaeology, Ancient Greek Economy, and Etruria and Ancient Italy
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Experimental Archaeology, Textile Archaeology, Weaving Technology, Etruscan Archaeology, Textile Technology, and 6 moreArchaeological textiles, Tablet Weaving, Archaeological textiles and clothing, Etruscan and pre-Roman archaeology, Textile spinning (0 Folowers), and Prehistoric Textiles, Dyeing, Weaving
This volume gathers the contributions of the 6th Purpureae Vestes International Symposium, which took place in Padova-Este-Altino, Veneto, Italy in October 2016. The topic, Textiles and Dyes in the Mediterranean economy and society,... more
This volume gathers the contributions of the 6th Purpureae Vestes International Symposium, which took place in Padova-Este-Altino, Veneto, Italy in October 2016. The topic, Textiles and Dyes in the Mediterranean economy and society, focused on the role of textile production and dyeing as economic activities of the various ancient cultures of the Mediterranean area, highlighting conservatisms and innovations in the various Mediterranean textile traditions and customs. An important impetus for this has been provided by the recent advances in textile studies and the numerous scientific projects that are using textile evidence to understand wider economic developments of ancient Mediterranean societies. The 53 articles collected in this volume follow a chronological (from the Bronze Age to the High Middle Ages) and geographical (from East to West and from Italy to the provinces) order. The last section deals with broader aspects that transgress chronological or geographical boundaries.
Research Interests:
This volume gathers the contributions of the 6th Purpureae Vestes International Symposium, which took place in Padova-Este-Altino, Veneto, Italy in October 2016. The topic, Textiles and Dyes in the Mediterranean economy and society,... more
This volume gathers the contributions of the 6th Purpureae Vestes
International Symposium, which took place in Padova-Este-Altino, Veneto,
Italy in October 2016. The topic, Textiles and Dyes in the Mediterranean
economy and society, focused on the role of textile production and dyeing
as economic activities of the various ancient cultures of the Mediterranean
area, highlighting conservatisms and innovations in the various
Mediterranean textile traditions and customs. An important impetus for
this has been provided by the recent advances in textile studies and the
numerous scientific projects that are using textile evidence to understand
wider economic developments of ancient Mediterranean societies. The 53
articles collected in this volume follow a chronological (from the Bronze
Age to the High Middle Ages) and geographical (from East to West and
from Italy to the provinces) order. The last section deals with broader
aspects that transgress chronological or geographical boundaries.
International Symposium, which took place in Padova-Este-Altino, Veneto,
Italy in October 2016. The topic, Textiles and Dyes in the Mediterranean
economy and society, focused on the role of textile production and dyeing
as economic activities of the various ancient cultures of the Mediterranean
area, highlighting conservatisms and innovations in the various
Mediterranean textile traditions and customs. An important impetus for
this has been provided by the recent advances in textile studies and the
numerous scientific projects that are using textile evidence to understand
wider economic developments of ancient Mediterranean societies. The 53
articles collected in this volume follow a chronological (from the Bronze
Age to the High Middle Ages) and geographical (from East to West and
from Italy to the provinces) order. The last section deals with broader
aspects that transgress chronological or geographical boundaries.
Research Interests:
In the past few years the field of archaeological textile research has witnessed a major dynamism as demonstrated by numerous conferences and publications on the topic, as well as establishment of large-scale interdisciplinary... more
In the past few years the field of archaeological textile research has witnessed a major dynamism as demonstrated by numerous conferences and publications on the topic, as well as establishment of large-scale interdisciplinary collaborative programmes, such as the Centre for Textile Research funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (2005-2015) and the pan-European project Clothing and
Identities – New Perspectives on Textiles in the Roman Empire (DressID) funded by the European Union Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (2007-2012), as well as numerous ERC and Marie Curie grants. These activities demonstrate not only that the field holds great potential in elucidating many aspects of past cultures, such as economy, technology, trade, fashion and religion, but also that at the moment there is a developing energy, expertise and collaborative will to draw from.
The present volume is, in fact, a result of a close collaboration between the editors in their roles as the principal investigators of the European Research Council funded 5-year project PROCON – Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in Mediterranean Europe 1000-500 BCE (Margarita Gleba, 2013-2018) based at the University of Cambridge in the UK, and the European Commission
funded Intra-European Marie Curie project TexSEt – Textile in Southern Etruria. Textile Technology in Central Tyrrheanian Italy from Late Prehistory to the Etruscan Period (Romina Laurito, 2014-2016) based at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. One of the outcomes of this continuing collaboration was an international conference that took place at the Danish Academy in Rome on 11-12 February 2016.
The event highlighted the various methods and approaches to textile and fibre studies in ancient Italy, presented new discoveries and studies of previously published material using new methods, and contextualised Italian material within wider European framework. The papers presented by an international group of scholars are gathered in the present volume.
A volume collecting specialist studies on this topic has never been published in Italy before. Compared to Central and Northern Europe, textile research Italy has been a rather neglected field until recently. The reason most often cited for the absence of studies on ancient textiles in Italy is their extremely poor preservation. Textiles, however, are much more common finds than generally thought and survive in original
organic state but also as carbonised and mineralised traces, as well as in the form of imprints. In addition, there are numerous other sources of evidence, such as textile tools, palaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains, as well as iconographic and written sources, which permit us to gain valuable information about many and varied aspects of textile production in ancient Italy. The scientific methods have been or are
being developed within archaeology that can be applied to gain new knowledge about ancient textiles on unprecedented scale. Finally, experimental archaeology is of great service in elucidating important technological questions.
The aim of this special volume is to demonstrate the potential of archaeological textiles and related sources for the investigation of ancient Italian economy, technology and agriculture and to discuss new methods that can be applied to the investigation of ancient textiles. We are thankful to the Editor in Chief, Marcella Frangipane, and the Scientific Board of Origini for the enthusiasm with which they accepted our
proposal to publish this collection in one of the leading archaeological periodicals of Italy. We thank the European Research Council and the European Commission for their generous support of our research.
Identities – New Perspectives on Textiles in the Roman Empire (DressID) funded by the European Union Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (2007-2012), as well as numerous ERC and Marie Curie grants. These activities demonstrate not only that the field holds great potential in elucidating many aspects of past cultures, such as economy, technology, trade, fashion and religion, but also that at the moment there is a developing energy, expertise and collaborative will to draw from.
The present volume is, in fact, a result of a close collaboration between the editors in their roles as the principal investigators of the European Research Council funded 5-year project PROCON – Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in Mediterranean Europe 1000-500 BCE (Margarita Gleba, 2013-2018) based at the University of Cambridge in the UK, and the European Commission
funded Intra-European Marie Curie project TexSEt – Textile in Southern Etruria. Textile Technology in Central Tyrrheanian Italy from Late Prehistory to the Etruscan Period (Romina Laurito, 2014-2016) based at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. One of the outcomes of this continuing collaboration was an international conference that took place at the Danish Academy in Rome on 11-12 February 2016.
The event highlighted the various methods and approaches to textile and fibre studies in ancient Italy, presented new discoveries and studies of previously published material using new methods, and contextualised Italian material within wider European framework. The papers presented by an international group of scholars are gathered in the present volume.
A volume collecting specialist studies on this topic has never been published in Italy before. Compared to Central and Northern Europe, textile research Italy has been a rather neglected field until recently. The reason most often cited for the absence of studies on ancient textiles in Italy is their extremely poor preservation. Textiles, however, are much more common finds than generally thought and survive in original
organic state but also as carbonised and mineralised traces, as well as in the form of imprints. In addition, there are numerous other sources of evidence, such as textile tools, palaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains, as well as iconographic and written sources, which permit us to gain valuable information about many and varied aspects of textile production in ancient Italy. The scientific methods have been or are
being developed within archaeology that can be applied to gain new knowledge about ancient textiles on unprecedented scale. Finally, experimental archaeology is of great service in elucidating important technological questions.
The aim of this special volume is to demonstrate the potential of archaeological textiles and related sources for the investigation of ancient Italian economy, technology and agriculture and to discuss new methods that can be applied to the investigation of ancient textiles. We are thankful to the Editor in Chief, Marcella Frangipane, and the Scientific Board of Origini for the enthusiasm with which they accepted our
proposal to publish this collection in one of the leading archaeological periodicals of Italy. We thank the European Research Council and the European Commission for their generous support of our research.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Experimental Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Greek colonies in Magna Graecia, Greek Archaeology, and 9 moreAncient Technology (Archaeology), Ancient Textiles, Etruscan Archaeology, Textile Technology, Ancient Textile Technology, Etruscan language, Denmark, Hallstatt, and Etruscan and pre-Roman archaeology
Vetus textrinum. Textiles in the Ancient World. Studies in honour of Carmen Alfaro Giner reúne un conjunto de trabajos internacionales e interdisciplinares sobre el tejido en la antigüedad, tanto desde el punto de vista técnico del... more
Vetus textrinum. Textiles in the Ancient World. Studies in honour of Carmen Alfaro Giner reúne un conjunto de trabajos internacionales e interdisciplinares sobre el tejido en la antigüedad, tanto desde el punto de vista técnico del trabajo textil como de su significado simbólico, identitario o cultural, aportando no solo información sobre la tecnología, la conservación museística y la economía antiguas, sino también sobre el simbolismo social y religioso de la vestimenta antigua. El homenaje a la profesora Carmen Alfaro Giner incluye contribuciones sobre el próximo oriente antiguo, desde Mesopotamia a la Persia aqueménida; sobre Egipto, desde la época faraónica a la época bizantina; sobre el Egeo, desde la época minoica a la época helenística; sobre la Italia perromana, el mundo romano y la producción de púrpura; o sobre la protohistoria de la Europa continental o la producción fenopúnica. Todos los participantes en este homenaje reflexionan sobren el vestido, el género, el color, la conservación, el simbolismo, la economía o muchísimos otros de los aspectos del tejido en la antigüedad, desde la historia, la arqueología, la filología y todas las otras ciencias de la antigüedad, a partir de las fuentes literarias, epigráficas o papirológicas, o el estudio de las fusayolas, el uso de las pinzas de precisión o del microscopio.
Research Interests:
Textile production is an economic necessity that has confronted all societies in the past. While most textiles were manufactured at a household level, valued textiles were traded over long distances and these trade networks were... more
Textile production is an economic necessity that has confronted all societies in the past. While most textiles were manufactured at a household level, valued textiles were traded over long distances and these trade networks were influenced by raw material supply, labour skills, costs, as well as by regional traditions. This was true in the Mediterranean regions and Making Textiles in pre-Roman and Roman times explores the abundant archaeological and written evidence to understand the typological and geographical diversity of textile commodities. Beginning in the Iron Age, the volume examines the foundations of the textile trade in Italy and the emergence of specialist textile production in Austria, the impact of new Roman markets on regional traditions and the role that gender played in the production of textiles. Trade networks from far beyond the frontiers of the Empire are traced, whilst the role of specialized merchants dealing in particular types of garment and the influence of Roman collegia on how textiles were produced and distributed are explored. Of these collegia, that of the fullers appears to have been particularly influential at a local level and how cloth was cleaned and treated is examined in detail, using archaeological evidence from Pompeii and provincial contexts to understand the processes behind this area of the textile trade.
"There is evidence that ever since early prehistory, textiles have always had more than simply a utilitarian function. Textiles express who we are - our gender, age, family affiliation, occupation, religion, ethnicity and social,... more
"There is evidence that ever since early prehistory, textiles have always had more than simply a utilitarian function. Textiles express who we are - our gender, age, family affiliation, occupation, religion, ethnicity and social, political, economic and legal status. Besides expressing our identity, textiles protect us from the harsh conditions of the environment, whether as clothes or shelter. We use them at birth for swaddling, in illness as bandages and at death as shrouds. We use them to carry and contain people and things. We use them for subsistence to catch fish and animals and for transport as sails. In fact, textiles represent one of the earliest human craft technologies and they have always been a fundamental part of subsistence, economy and exchange. Textiles have an enormous potential in archaeological research to inform us of social, chronological and cultural aspects of ancient societies. In archaeology, the study of textiles is often relegated to the marginalised zone of specialist and specialised subject and lack of dialogue between textile researchers and scholars in other fields means that as a resource, textiles are not used to their full potential or integrated into the overall interpretation of a particular site or broader aspects of human activity.
Textiles and Textile Production in Europe is a major new survey that aims to redress this. Twenty-three chapters collect and systematise essential information on textiles and textile production from sixteen European countries, resulting in an up-to-date and detailed sourcebook and an easily accessible overview of the development of European textile technology and economy from prehistory to AD 400. All chapters have an introduction, give the chronological and cultural background and an overview of the material in question organised chronologically and thematically. The sources of information used by the authors are primarily textiles and textile tools recovered from archaeological contexts. In addition, other evidence for the study of ancient textile production, ranging from iconography to written sources to palaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains are included. The introduction gives a summary on textile preservation, analytical techniques and production sequence that provides a background for the terminology and issues discussed in the various chapters. Extensively illustrated, with over 200 colour illustrations, maps, chronologies and index, this will be an essential sourcebook not just for textile researchers but also the wider archaeological community. 512p, 320 col & b/w illus, 22 maps, 30 tables (Ancient Textiles Series 11, Oxbow Books in association with the Centre for Textile Research, 2012)"
Textiles and Textile Production in Europe is a major new survey that aims to redress this. Twenty-three chapters collect and systematise essential information on textiles and textile production from sixteen European countries, resulting in an up-to-date and detailed sourcebook and an easily accessible overview of the development of European textile technology and economy from prehistory to AD 400. All chapters have an introduction, give the chronological and cultural background and an overview of the material in question organised chronologically and thematically. The sources of information used by the authors are primarily textiles and textile tools recovered from archaeological contexts. In addition, other evidence for the study of ancient textile production, ranging from iconography to written sources to palaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains are included. The introduction gives a summary on textile preservation, analytical techniques and production sequence that provides a background for the terminology and issues discussed in the various chapters. Extensively illustrated, with over 200 colour illustrations, maps, chronologies and index, this will be an essential sourcebook not just for textile researchers but also the wider archaeological community. 512p, 320 col & b/w illus, 22 maps, 30 tables (Ancient Textiles Series 11, Oxbow Books in association with the Centre for Textile Research, 2012)"
Research Interests:
Recent archaeological work has shown that South Italy was densely occupied at least from the Late Bronze Age, with a marked process of the development of proto-urban centres, accompanied by important technological transformations. The... more
Recent archaeological work has shown that South Italy was densely occupied at least from the Late Bronze Age, with a marked process of the development of proto-urban centres, accompanied by important technological transformations. The archaeological exploration of indigenous South Italy is a relatively recent phenomenon, thanks to the bias towards the study of Greek colonies. Therefore an assessment of processes taking place in Italic Iron Age communities is well overdue. Communicating Identity explores the many and much varied identities of the Italic peoples of the Iron Age, and how specific objects, places and ideas might have been involved in generating, mediating and communicating these identities. The term identity here covers both the personal identities of the individuals as well and the identities of groups on various levels (political, social, gender, ethnic or religious). A wide range of evidence is discussed including funerary iconography, grave offerings, pottery, vase-painting, coins, spindles and distaffs and the excavation of settlements. The methodologies used here have wider implications. The situation in the northern Black Sea region in particular has often been compared to that of southern Italy and several of the contributions compare and contrast the archaeological evidence of the two regions.
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The NESAT symposium has grown from the first meeting in 1981 which was attended by 23 scholars, to over 100 at the tenth meeting that took place in Copenhagen in 2008, with virtually all areas of Europe represented. The 50 papers from the... more
The NESAT symposium has grown from the first meeting in 1981 which was attended by 23 scholars, to over 100 at the tenth meeting that took place in Copenhagen in 2008, with virtually all areas of Europe represented. The 50 papers from the conference presented here show the vibrance of the study of archaeological textiles today. Examples studied come from the Bronze Age, Neolithic, the Iron Age, Roman, Viking, the Middle Ages and post-Medieval, and from a wide range of countries including Norway, Czech Republic, Poland, Greece, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands. Modern techniques of analysis and examination are also discussed.
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Etruscans were deemed “the most religious of men” by their Roman successors and it is hardly surprising that the topic of Etruscan religion has been explored for some time now. This volume offers a contribution to the continued study of... more
Etruscans were deemed “the most religious of men” by their Roman successors and it is hardly surprising that the topic of Etruscan religion has been explored for some time now. This volume offers a contribution to the continued study of Etruscan religion and daily life, by focusing on the less explored issue of ritual. Ritual is approached through fourteen case studies, considering mortuary customs, votive rituals and other religious and daily life practices. The book gathers new material, interpretations and approaches to the less emphasized areas of Etruscan religion, especially its votive aspects, based on archaeological and epigraphic sources.
Research Interests:
Minoan ladies, Scythian warriors, Roman and Sarmatian merchants, prehistoric weavers, gold sheet figures, Vikings, Medieval saints and sinners, Renaissance noblemen, Danish peasants, dressmakers and Hollywood stars appear in the pages of... more
Minoan ladies, Scythian warriors, Roman and Sarmatian merchants, prehistoric weavers, gold sheet figures, Vikings, Medieval saints and sinners, Renaissance noblemen, Danish peasants, dressmakers and Hollywood stars appear in the pages of this anthology. This is not necessarily how they dressed in the past, but how the authors of this book think they dressed in the past, and why they think so. No reader of this book will ever look at a reconstructed costume in a museum or at a historical festival, or watch a film with a historic theme again without a heightened awareness of how, why, and from what sources, the costumes were reconstructed. The seventeen contributors come from a variety of disciplines: archaeologists, historians, curators with ethnological and anthropological backgrounds, designers, a weaver, a conservator and a scholar of fashion in cinema, are all specialists interested in ancient or historical dress who wish to share their knowledge and expertise with students, hobby enthusiasts and the general reader. The anthology is also recommended for use in teaching students at design schools.
Research Interests:
Older than both ceramics and metallurgy, textile production is a technology which reveals much about prehistoric social and economic development. This book examines the archaeological evidence for textile production in Italy from the... more
Older than both ceramics and metallurgy, textile production is a technology which reveals much about prehistoric social and economic development. This book examines the archaeological evidence for textile production in Italy from the transition between the Bronze Age and Early Iron Ages until the Roman expansion (1000-400 BCE), and sheds light on both the process of technological development and the emergence of large urban centres with specialised crafts. Margarita Gleba begins with an overview of the prehistoric Appennine peninsula, which featured cultures such as the Villanovans and the Etruscans, and was connected through colonisation and trade with the other parts of the Mediterranean. She then focuses on the textiles themselves: their appearance in written and iconographic sources, the fibres and dyes employed, how they were produced and what they were used for: we learn, for instance, of the linen used in sails and rigging on Etruscan ships, and of the complex looms needed to produce twill. Featuring a comprehensive analysis of textiles remains and textile tools from the period, the book recovers information about funerary ritual, the sexual differentiation of labour (the spinners and weavers were usually women) and the important role the exchange of luxury textiles played in the emergence of an elite. Textile production played a part in ancient Italian society's change from an egalitarian to an aristocratic social structure, and in the emergence of complex urban communities.
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This entry provides an overview of the main cultures of the Steppe and Forest-steppe belts of Eastern Europe, geographically delineated between the Danube and the Volga Rivers, including the entire littoral of the Northern Black Sea,... more
This entry provides an overview of the main cultures of the Steppe and Forest-steppe belts of Eastern Europe, geographically delineated between the Danube and the Volga Rivers, including the entire littoral of the Northern Black Sea, during the early Iron Age, which is approximately dated between the 10th and the 4th centuries BCE. Among the most notable cultures are the Chornohorivska, Chornoliska, Zhabotyn, Early Scythian and Classical Scythian. The main focus is on archaeological data, including settlements, burials and the accompanying material culture.
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This entry provides an overview of the main cultures of the Steppe Nomadic Cultures of the Lower Volga, Lower Don and Southern Urals in the 6th–3rd centuries BCE. These include the so-called Sauromatian culture, the Filippovka horizon and... more
This entry provides an overview of the main cultures of the Steppe Nomadic Cultures of the Lower Volga, Lower Don and Southern Urals in the 6th–3rd centuries BCE. These include the so-called Sauromatian culture, the Filippovka horizon and the Early Sarmatian Prokhorovka Culture. The main focus is on the archaeological data, including burials and the accompanying material culture.
Research Interests:
Im Bergbaugebiet von Schwaz/Brixlegg im Nordtiroler Unterinntal fand während der späten Bronzezeit und frühen Eisenzeit ein umfangreicher Bergbau auf Kupfererze statt, der zahlrei¬che Spuren im Gelände hinterlassen hat.... more
Im Bergbaugebiet von Schwaz/Brixlegg im Nordtiroler Unterinntal fand während der späten Bronzezeit und frühen Eisenzeit ein umfangreicher Bergbau auf Kupfererze statt, der zahlrei¬che Spuren im Gelände hinterlassen hat. Montanarchäo¬logische Forschungsprojekte der Universität Innsbruck, gefördert vom österreichischen Wissenschaftsfonds FWF und vom Tiroler Wissenschaftsfonds TWF, untersuchen seit den 1990er Jahren das prähistorische Montanwesen in diesem Raum. Zu den Forschungszielen gehören die Rekonstruktion der metallurgischen Produktionskette vom Erzabbau über die Aufbereitung bis hin zur Erz¬verhüttung und Gewinnung von Rohkupfer sowie der Arbeits- und Lebenswelt der prähistorischen Berg- und Hüttenleute. Die bislang prospektierten und in Aus¬schnitten archäologisch untersuchten Befunde belegen einen zeitlichen Schwerpunkt der Bergbauaktivitäten im 12. bis 8. Jh. v. Chr. Auf einem Verhüttungsplatz bei Radfeld (Mauk A) fanden sich 1997 bei der Freilegung einer „Waschrinne“ zur nassmechanischen Aufbereitung von Schlacken einige gut erhaltene Textilfragmente. Der archäologische Befund sowie die Textilfunde, Analysen zu Textiltechnik, Fasermaterial und Farbstoffen werden im folgenden Beitrag vorgestellt. Zudem werden die funk¬tionelle Interpretation und kulturgeschichtliche Einord¬nung der Textilfunde diskutiert.
Research Interests:
Textile production is among the most fundamental and more complex technologies in human prehistory, but is under-investigated due to the perishable nature of fibrous materials. Here we report a discovery of five textile fragments from a... more
Textile production is among the most fundamental and more complex technologies in human prehistory, but is under-investigated due to the perishable nature of fibrous materials. Here we report a discovery of five textile fragments from a prehistoric (fourth-third millennium cal BC) burial deposit located in a small cave at Peñacalera in Sierra Morena hills, near Córdoba, Southern Spain. These textiles accompanied a set of human remains as grave goods, together with other organic elements such as fragments of wood and cork, and some pottery vessels. They were characterized and dated using digital microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy and Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. Two of the fragments described here are the oldest examples of loom-woven textiles in the Iberian Peninsula, dating from the second half of the fourth millennium cal BC. This correlates chronologically with the first appearance of loom weights in the archaeological record of this region. The more recently dated textile is the earliest preserved cloth intentionally coloured with cinnabar in the western Mediterranean. The Peñacalera finds are a key reference for understanding the development of textile technologies during the Neolithic and Copper Age in western Europe and beyond.
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This special volume of Sagvntvm stems from an interdisciplinary workshop organised on 17 February 2017 by the European Research Council funded 5-year project PROCON - Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in... more
This special volume of Sagvntvm stems from an interdisciplinary workshop organised on 17 February 2017 by the
European Research Council funded 5-year project PROCON - Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and
Urbanisation in Mediterranean Europe 1000-500 BCE (FP/2007-2013-312603; PI Margarita Gleba) based at the University
of Cambridge in the UK. The workshop gathered specialists in textile archaeology, conservation, archaeobotany
and zooarchaeology in order to bring together and to discuss the various methods and approaches to ancient textile and
fibre studies in Spain. We hope that this issue will demonstrate the potential of archaeological textiles and related sources
for the investigation of ancient Iberian economy, technology and agriculture and encourage new research directions
in this subject.
European Research Council funded 5-year project PROCON - Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and
Urbanisation in Mediterranean Europe 1000-500 BCE (FP/2007-2013-312603; PI Margarita Gleba) based at the University
of Cambridge in the UK. The workshop gathered specialists in textile archaeology, conservation, archaeobotany
and zooarchaeology in order to bring together and to discuss the various methods and approaches to ancient textile and
fibre studies in Spain. We hope that this issue will demonstrate the potential of archaeological textiles and related sources
for the investigation of ancient Iberian economy, technology and agriculture and encourage new research directions
in this subject.
Research Interests:
The paper presents preliminary results of a new analysis of textile assemblage from the Caolino necropolis at Sasso di Furbara (Cerveteri), Italy, which is one of the largest and most important Iron Age textile corpora known from Italy.... more
The paper presents preliminary results of a new analysis of textile assemblage from the Caolino necropolis at Sasso di Furbara (Cerveteri), Italy, which is one of the largest and most important Iron Age textile corpora known from Italy. The material was found in 1953 by construction workers in a wooden monoxile boat, interpreted as a cenotaph. The majority of the textiles are of exceptionally high quality both technically and aesthetically and illustrate a range in fineness and design. One of the textiles includes one of the oldest and most complex tablet weaves found in Italy. Another exceptional characteristic of many textile fragments from Sasso di Furbara is the fact that they preserve visible colour patterns, indicating the use of dyes. To date, 110 fragments survive, which were sandwiched between glass panels when the first conservation was carried out in the 1980s during the study of the material by Hubert Masurel, who published his findings in two articles differentiating the fragments into seven fabric groups, but no comprehensive catalogue of the material exists. In 2017, a new study of the Sasso di Furbara material was initiated involving conservation and full scientific investigation of the extant fragments, including structural analysis, radiocarbon dating, fibre identification, dye analysis and experimental reconstruction of the tablet weaves. The paper presents the new structural groups and results of dating and raw material analyses.
Research Interests:
In this paper, we attempt to trace checks and ‘tartan-like’ patterns in prehistoric Mediterranean, Central and Northern Europe, the techniques in which they were created, and their possible significance. Key finds come from burials, salt... more
In this paper, we attempt to trace checks and ‘tartan-like’ patterns in prehistoric Mediterranean, Central and Northern Europe, the techniques in which they were created, and their possible significance. Key finds come from burials, salt mines and bogs in Italy, Austria and Scandinavia, and span in date the 1st millennium BC. Checked pattern could be created in
a variety of different ways, utilising the colour (natural wool shades and dyes), spinning and weaving techniques. The resulting types of patterns include block checks, grid checks, houndstooth patterns, and tartan-like designs. Most of the checked textiles are twills. The checked patterning is compared to other design principles known in the eastern Mediterranean and the Near East, where no twills have been securely identified to date. The checked twills from China are considered in the context of checked twill development and spread across Eurasia.
a variety of different ways, utilising the colour (natural wool shades and dyes), spinning and weaving techniques. The resulting types of patterns include block checks, grid checks, houndstooth patterns, and tartan-like designs. Most of the checked textiles are twills. The checked patterning is compared to other design principles known in the eastern Mediterranean and the Near East, where no twills have been securely identified to date. The checked twills from China are considered in the context of checked twill development and spread across Eurasia.
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The article is focusing on the re-assessment of two linen 2/1 twill fragments from the early excavations of Hallstatt in Austria, which were for a long time assumed to date to the Bronze Age. The new 14C data presented here prove that the... more
The article is focusing on the re-assessment of two linen 2/1 twill fragments from the early excavations of Hallstatt in Austria, which were for a long time assumed to date to the Bronze Age. The new 14C data presented here prove that the pieces are early modern, dating to about 1600 CE. Then new dating and reassessment of the possible find context of the two linen twills from Hallstatt presented here has important implications for textile research as – up to now – these textiles have been counted among the oldest of their kind. Comparable linen twill textiles (to the finds from the saltmine are common at the end of the Medieval and beginning of the Early Modern period in Central Europe, as demonstrated by the artefacts from Austria, e.g. from Lengberg castle, 15th century CE.
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The paper provides a short overview on textile preservation, analytical techniques, production sequence, and contexts of production in the Bronze-Early Iron Age Iberian Peninsula. It is intended as a background for the terminology and an... more
The paper provides a short overview on textile preservation, analytical techniques, production sequence, and contexts of production in the
Bronze-Early Iron Age Iberian Peninsula. It is intended as a background for the terminology and an introduction to the different stages of
textile production as well as various sources and methods that can enlighten our understanding of textiles and their economic, social and
historical role in ancient Iberian Peninsula.
Bronze-Early Iron Age Iberian Peninsula. It is intended as a background for the terminology and an introduction to the different stages of
textile production as well as various sources and methods that can enlighten our understanding of textiles and their economic, social and
historical role in ancient Iberian Peninsula.
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Sea silk, derived from the beard of the Pinna nobilis clam, has often been described in historical sources, but only rarely identified scientifically in extant textiles. This paper describes the microscopy of the fibres in a textile held... more
Sea silk, derived from the beard of the Pinna nobilis clam, has often been described in historical sources, but only rarely identified scientifically in extant textiles. This paper describes the microscopy of the fibres in a textile held in the Cuming Collection at the Natural History Museum in London. The textile is a compound weave that incorporates yarns made of sea silk, ordinary cultivated silk and a fine animal coat fibre. The fibres were identified by a combination of transmitted-light, polarised-light and scanning electron microscopy. There is little documentation concerning the origin of the piece, but it is likely to be18th-century Italian and may have come from a waistcoat.
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The article presents the results of textile and fibre analysis of four textile fragments recovered during archaeological excavations at the site of Zawaydah, Naqada, in Upper Egypt. Although the main phase of the occupation at this site... more
The article presents the results of textile and fibre analysis of four textile fragments recovered during archaeological excavations at the site of Zawaydah, Naqada, in Upper Egypt. Although the main phase of the occupation at this site is ascribed to the Pre- and Protodynastic period (c. fourth millennium BC), the structural and fibre analyses of the textiles and the subsequent radiocarbon dating of two fragments provide evidence of later phases of site use, to be assigned to the Middle Kingdom, possibly the New Kingdom, and the Middle Ages (second millennium BC and second millennium AD). The article offers an insight into the Egyptian textiles of these later time periods at the site, and highlights the importance of detailed structural and fibre analysis for acquiring dating information and informing the decisions to carry out further analyses, such as radiocarbon dating.
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Livestock husbandry played a fundamental role in the economy of ancient Mediterranean communities. In central Italy, archaeological evidence for a significant re-organisation of animal production appears during the first millennium BC... more
Livestock husbandry played a fundamental role in the economy of ancient Mediterranean communities. In central Italy, archaeological evidence for a significant re-organisation of animal production appears during the first millennium BC alongside the rise of urban settlements and an aristocratic class. Urban sites are interpreted as having a central role in the organisation of agricultural production, through control over their territories and the re-distribution/exchange of agricultural products. However, these hypotheses have never been bio-archaeologically demonstrated. Here, we present a detailed multi-isotope pilot study of sheep management and mobility the first isotopic study dedicated to fauna from late prehistoric or Roman Italy-which investigates animal management and agricultural provisioning in two Etruscan sites (675-430 BC). We used ZooMS to confirm species identifications, and isotopic analyses (87 Sr/ 86 Sr, δ 18 O, δ 13 C, and δ 15 N) to gain insight into differences in animal management at the ancient city of Velzna (5th century BC), modern Orvieto, and the aristocratic residence of Poggio Civitate (7th century BC). Results demonstrate that Orvieto received sheep raised in at least three distinct locations, while data from Poggio Civitate were compatible with herding in a single area. These results reinforce interpretation of Orvieto as a central place that collected resources from its hinterland, while Poggio Civitate employed a more isolated production strategy. Analyses did not produce evidence for long-distance vertical transhumance at either site, with results suggesting more local variation in herding patterns, consistent with seasonal herding in the general hinterland of each location. This pilot study offers a first step towards higher-resolution understanding of animal management in the region, and demonstrates the potential of further isotopic studies to provide new insights on agricultural provisioning and territorial control in proto-historic Italy.
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This paper summarises the results of the TRAMA (Textiles in Roman Archaeology: Methods and Analysis) project, which aims to analyse Roman textiles from Venetia. As elsewhere in Italy, because of the unfavourable climatic conditions and... more
This paper summarises the results of the TRAMA (Textiles in Roman Archaeology: Methods and Analysis) project, which aims to analyse Roman textiles from Venetia. As elsewhere in Italy, because of the unfavourable climatic conditions and geological features, fibres, yarns and textiles are rarely preserved in this area, with only one Roman fabric known until recently. This project focuses on a systematic census of organic and mineralised fabrics, in order to better understand textile production and consumption patterns in the region, which was praised for the high quality of its textile products by contemporary writers. To date, 29 artefacts found in the Veneto Region with preserved, mineralised textile traces have been recorded and analysed. These are predominantly bronze or iron objects that were excavated from funerary contexts in urban (including Padua, Verona, Altino, Este) and rural cemeteries. The textile traces include linen and wool fabrics of various qualities. This study provides new data regarding textile production and the funerary rituals, offering for the first time a picture of textiles produced in the area.
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We present an analysis of the fibres found inside a Roman clay lamp (Firmalampe) recovered in one of the graves discovered near the Via Claudia Augusta (open from Hostilia in Verona and from there to Tridentum and beyond the Alps) in... more
We present an analysis of the fibres found inside a Roman clay lamp (Firmalampe) recovered in one of the graves discovered near the Via Claudia Augusta (open from Hostilia in Verona and from there to Tridentum and beyond the Alps) in Gazzo Veronese (Verona) during the excavations conducted in 2015 by the Department of Culture and Civilization, University of Verona. The lamp, which has blackened spout and a Vetilii stamp, is dated to the first half of the 1st century AD. Fibre identification of the wick preserved inside the lamp indicates the use of rush (Juncus sp.), a common plant in the wet environment typical for the Verona plain. This is the first evidence for the use of rush for this purpose in Roman Veneto.
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The topic of this paper is ossuary dressing in the broader context of the commemoration of death in the pre-Roman world. Recent studies suggest that this ritual practice was not linked to exceptional circumstances in Italy; rather, was... more
The topic of this paper is ossuary dressing in the broader context of the commemoration of death in the pre-Roman world. Recent studies suggest that this ritual practice was not linked to exceptional circumstances in Italy; rather, was quite commonplace, as documented by new evidence from cemeteries such as Verucchio and Tarquinia. In Veneto, at the end of the 19th century, Alessandro Prosdocimi, the discoverer of Palaeovenetic civilisation, wrote, “On the custom of the ancients to cover cinerary urns with cloth.” In recent years, more refined techniques of excavation have allowed for the analysis of mi- crostratigraphy and enhanced study of the archaeological record, facilitating the identification of a number of textile traces in graves from Este (PD) and elsewhere. These artefacts are now the subject of expert analysis and detailed studies. Here, some emblematic cases are presented to demonstrate the considerable ritual variability that characterises the depositional sequence of funerary objects during the period from the 8th to the 3rd century BC.
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Abstract: Byssus is an antique textile term, meaning fine linen. Later the term was used also for finest silk or cotton fabrics. In 16th century, the term byssus was given to the fibre beard of the noble pen shell Pinna nobilis L. – in... more
Abstract: Byssus is an antique textile term, meaning fine linen. Later the term was used also for finest silk or cotton fabrics. In 16th century, the term byssus was given to the fibre beard of the noble pen shell Pinna nobilis L. – in analogy to the antique linen byssus. Sea-silk is the washed and combed byssus of the pen shell. The first written sources on sea-silk date to the 2nd century CE; the oldest sea-silk item is known from the 4th century CE. Over the course of recent years, we hear in worldwide mass media – especially in religious and cultic contexts – of the discovery of new Medieval or ancient byssus items. Unfortunately, in most of these cases byssus is mistaken as sea-silk, and they are all characterized by the fact that a serious fibre analysis is missing or previous fibre analyses have not been taken into account. Against this background, it comes as no surprise that a paper announcing the discovery of “Byssus fibres coming from secretion of the Pinna mollusc” in Pompeii excavations generated great interest among the archaeological textile experts. Two independent analyses were made and came to the same conclusion: the presumed byssus fibres are fibres of an ordinary bath sponge.
Keywords: Sea-silk, Byssus, Pinna nobilis, Pompeii, Sponge, Archaeological textiles
Résumé: Le mot Byssus correspond à un terme textile antique désignant un lin de qualité. Par la suite, il sert également à qualifier de fines étoffes de soie ou de coton. Au XVIè siècle, on l’utilise pour nommer la filasse du coquillage marin Pinna nobilis L. – par analogie avec les lins antiques les plus fins. La soie marine correspond, quant à elle, aux fibres de Byssus une fois lavées et peignées. Les premières sources écrites la mentionnant datent du IIè siècle après J.-C.; le plus ancien vestige connu date, pour ce qui le concerne, du IVè siècle. Depuis quelques années, notamment en contextes cultuels et religieux, il est question de découvertes répétées de textiles antiques et médiévaux conçus en fibres de Byssus. Malheureusement, dans la plupart des cas, Byssus et soie marine sont confondus, avec pour point seul commun l’absence d’analyses sérieuses permettant de les identifier, ou d'analyses antérieures des fibres n'ayant pas été prises en compte. Dans ce contexte, il n’est pas surprenant que l’annonce de la découverte de “Byssus fibres coming from secretion of the Pinna mollusc” sur le site de Pompéi ait suscité le vif intérêt des spécialistes textiles du monde entier. Deux recherches indépendantes ont ainsi été menées sur cette exceptionnelle découverte; elles convergent vers un même résultat: les fibres présumées de Byssus sont en réalité de banales fibres d’éponge.
Keywords: Sea-silk, Byssus, Pinna nobilis, Pompeii, Sponge, Archaeological textiles
Résumé: Le mot Byssus correspond à un terme textile antique désignant un lin de qualité. Par la suite, il sert également à qualifier de fines étoffes de soie ou de coton. Au XVIè siècle, on l’utilise pour nommer la filasse du coquillage marin Pinna nobilis L. – par analogie avec les lins antiques les plus fins. La soie marine correspond, quant à elle, aux fibres de Byssus une fois lavées et peignées. Les premières sources écrites la mentionnant datent du IIè siècle après J.-C.; le plus ancien vestige connu date, pour ce qui le concerne, du IVè siècle. Depuis quelques années, notamment en contextes cultuels et religieux, il est question de découvertes répétées de textiles antiques et médiévaux conçus en fibres de Byssus. Malheureusement, dans la plupart des cas, Byssus et soie marine sont confondus, avec pour point seul commun l’absence d’analyses sérieuses permettant de les identifier, ou d'analyses antérieures des fibres n'ayant pas été prises en compte. Dans ce contexte, il n’est pas surprenant que l’annonce de la découverte de “Byssus fibres coming from secretion of the Pinna mollusc” sur le site de Pompéi ait suscité le vif intérêt des spécialistes textiles du monde entier. Deux recherches indépendantes ont ainsi été menées sur cette exceptionnelle découverte; elles convergent vers un même résultat: les fibres présumées de Byssus sont en réalité de banales fibres d’éponge.
Research Interests:
Characterisations of ancient sheep breeds and wool types and theories about wool fibre processing are integral parts of textile archaeology. The studies build on statistical calculations of measurements of wool fibre diameters and reveal... more
Characterisations of ancient sheep breeds and wool types and theories about wool fibre processing are integral parts of textile archaeology. The studies build on statistical calculations of measurements of wool fibre diameters and reveal characteristics of the yarns that are attributed to the available raw wool and to the production methods of the time. Different microscope types have been used for data collection. Presently digital images from either scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or transmitted light microscopy (TLM) are the preferred methods. The advantage of SEM is the good depth of field at high magnification, while TLM is simpler to use and more readily available. Several classification systems have been developed to facilitate the interpretation of the results. In this article, the comparability of the results from these two methods and from the use of different magnifications in general is examined based on the analyses of a large number of the Danish prehistoric textiles. The results do not indicate superiority of one microscope type in favour of another. Rather, they reveal differences in the calculations that can be ascribed to the diversity of the fibres in the individual yarns as well as to the methodology and the magnification level.
Research Interests:
Textiles are seldom included within socioeconomic interpretative frameworks of the ancient northern Mediterranean region, although several recent studies have begun to address this lacuna. The Archaic/ Classical site of Ripacandida... more
Textiles are seldom included within socioeconomic interpretative frameworks of the ancient northern
Mediterranean region, although several recent studies have begun to address this lacuna. The Archaic/
Classical site of Ripacandida (Basilicata), located in the southern Apennines, has yielded both textiles and
textile tools, providing an unprecedented opportunity to examine textile production and use at an indigenous
south Italian site. This study presents the results of the complementary analyses of mineralised textile
remains and textile tools (spindle whorls and loom weights) found in the cemetery of Ripacandida. The
unusual combination of the Greek textile weave (weft-faced tabby) and a characteristic Italic tablet-woven
border in two fragments attests to a mixed textile culture. The (to date) unique situation at Ripacandida
enables us to reflect on the role of textiles in cultural contact contexts: the way in which textile cultures and
their elements met and were mixed or kept separate in south Italy and beyond; the extent to which textile
production was socially and economically embedded in a small indigenous community of south Italy; and
the role of textiles and textile production as an expression of indigenous–Greek interaction.
Mediterranean region, although several recent studies have begun to address this lacuna. The Archaic/
Classical site of Ripacandida (Basilicata), located in the southern Apennines, has yielded both textiles and
textile tools, providing an unprecedented opportunity to examine textile production and use at an indigenous
south Italian site. This study presents the results of the complementary analyses of mineralised textile
remains and textile tools (spindle whorls and loom weights) found in the cemetery of Ripacandida. The
unusual combination of the Greek textile weave (weft-faced tabby) and a characteristic Italic tablet-woven
border in two fragments attests to a mixed textile culture. The (to date) unique situation at Ripacandida
enables us to reflect on the role of textiles in cultural contact contexts: the way in which textile cultures and
their elements met and were mixed or kept separate in south Italy and beyond; the extent to which textile
production was socially and economically embedded in a small indigenous community of south Italy; and
the role of textiles and textile production as an expression of indigenous–Greek interaction.
Research Interests:
Textiles are seldom included within socioeconomic interpretative frameworks of the ancient northern Mediterranean region, although several recent studies have begun to address this lacuna. The Archaic/ Classical site of Ripacandida... more
Textiles are seldom included within socioeconomic interpretative frameworks of the ancient northern Mediterranean region, although several recent studies have begun to address this lacuna. The Archaic/ Classical site of Ripacandida (Basilicata), located in the southern Apennines, has yielded both textiles and textile tools, providing an unprecedented opportunity to examine textile production and use at an indigenous south Italian site. This study presents the results of the complementary analyses of mineralised textile remains and textile tools (spindle whorls and loom weights) found in the cemetery of Ripacandida. The unusual combination of the Greek textile weave (weft-faced tabby) and a characteristic Italic tablet-woven border in two fragments attests to a mixed textile culture. The (to date) unique situation at Ripacandida enables us to reflect on the role of textiles in cultural contact contexts: the way in which textile cultures and their elements met and were mixed or kept separate in south Italy and beyond; the extent to which textile production was socially and economically embedded in a small indigenous community of south Italy; and the role of textiles and textile production as an expression of indigenous-Greek interaction.
Research Interests:
Recent research into plant bast fibre technology points to a Neolithic European tradition of working fibres into threads by splicing, rather than draft spinning. The major issue now is the ability of textile specialists and... more
Recent research into plant bast fibre technology points to a Neolithic European tradition of working fibres into threads by splicing, rather than draft spinning. The major issue now is the ability of textile specialists and archaeobotanists to distinguish the technology of splicing from draft-spun fibres. This paper defines the major types of splicing and proposes an explicit method to observe, identify and interpret spliced thread technology. The identification of spliced yarns is evaluated through the examination of textiles from Europe, Egypt and the Near East. Through the application of this method, we propose that the switch from splicing to draft spinning plant fibres occurred much later than previously thought. The ramifications of this shift in plant processing have profound implications for understanding the chaîne opératoire of this ubiquitous and time-consuming technology, which will have to be factored into social and economic reconstructions of the past.
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Iconographic sources indicate that textiles were used for a variety of purposes by the Etruscans, Paleovenetians, Faliscans and other inhabitants of ancient Italy but until recently little was known about what these textiles actually were... more
Iconographic sources indicate that textiles were used for a variety of purposes by the Etruscans, Paleovenetians, Faliscans and other inhabitants of ancient Italy but until recently little was known about what these textiles actually were like. The latest and ongoing studies of the surviving fabric remains found primarily in burial contexts are for the first time permitting not only qualitative but also quantitative assessment of the data. The paper focuses on the recently analysed textile remains from across Italy, and places them in the wider context of Italian and European pre-Roman textile production.
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From the earliest colonial times the necropolis of Cumae has been characterised by cremation burials, deposited in a bronze or silver urn and placed in a stone cist. This burial system, present in different iterations throughout time, is... more
From the earliest colonial times the necropolis of Cumae has been characterised by cremation burials, deposited in a bronze or silver urn and placed in a stone cist. This burial system, present in different iterations throughout time, is well known and widely discussed in the literature. The presence of textiles used to wrap the bones or metal containers is recorded in the early 19th century excavation reports and has been confirmed by subsequent research. This use of textiles has been traditionally explained in light of the Homeric descriptions of heroic funerals. This paper attempts to systematically collect the available evidence, and to compare the information on funerary ceremonies that are known from the literary sources, with the data provided by the current analysis of extant textiles. The data collected to date indicate a continuity of specific textile use within cremation burials of Archaic Cumae, which whilst mimicking a much older tradition, express very different social realities.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Textiles, Etruscan, Textile Engineering, Technical Textile, Etruscan Archaeology, and 11 moreEtruscan Funerary Art, Textile Technology, Etruscology, Technical Textiles, Etruscan studies, Textile, Italic Archaeology, Etruscology, Greek and Roman Archaeology, Etruscan and pre-Roman archaeology, Etruscologia, Etruschi, and Porpora
Research Interests:
Archaeological works undertaken as part of Highways England’s A1 road improvement scheme between Leeming Bar and Barton encountered a large rural Roman cemetery at Bainesse, near Catterick in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. A... more
Archaeological works undertaken as part of Highways England’s A1 road improvement scheme between Leeming Bar and Barton encountered a large rural Roman cemetery at Bainesse, near Catterick in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. A copper-alloy bead was found to contain preserved string formed of two strands of an organic material twisted together in one of more than 200 burials. Scanning electron microscopy analysis suggests that the string was made of a club moss or a related species of fibre. This discovery further widens the repertoire of indigenous plant species used in Roman Britain for the production of textiles and emphasises the importance of fibre identification even of small organic remains.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Roman Britain, Roman Britain and Europe, Roman Textile Production, Roman burial practices, and 16 moreBeads, British Archaeology, Romano-British history and archaeology, Archaeological textiles, Archaeological textiles and clothing, Roman Textiles, Roman cemetery, Archaeology of Roman Britain, Romano-British Archaeology, Archaeology of Britain, Roman Archaeology, Roman Beads, Burial in Roman Britain, Archeology, Roman Death and Burial, and Roman material culture
Archaeological textiles are relatively rare finds in Mediterranean Europe, but many fragments survive in a mineralised form. Recent analysis of Iron Age textiles from Italy and Greece indicates that, despite the use of similar textile... more
Archaeological textiles are relatively rare finds in Mediterranean Europe, but many fragments survive in a mineralised form. Recent analysis of Iron Age textiles from Italy and Greece indicates that, despite the use of similar textile technologies at this time, Italy shared the textile culture of Central Europe, while Greece largely followed the Near Eastern traditions of textile production. This research greatly expands our current understanding of the regional circulation of textile technological knowledge and the role of textiles in ancient societies.
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Textile tools made of perishable materials such as wood are extremely rare in the archaeological contexts of ancient Mediterranean, but numerous complete and fragmentary boxes containing textile tools and other materials have been found... more
Textile tools made of perishable materials such as wood are extremely rare in the archaeological contexts of ancient Mediterranean, but numerous complete and fragmentary boxes containing textile tools and other materials have been found in Scythian burials of the 5th-4th centuries BC in southern Ukraine. The boxes are found exclusively in female burials and are clearly of Hellenic craftsmanship. The paper presents preliminary observations about a 4th century BC female burial 2 from Kurgan 5 at Bulgakovo, which was accompanied by a wooden box containing three wooden distaffs, a spindle whorl made of an amphora fragment, a wooden comb and two smaller wooden boxes, one of which stored a set of at least 19 wooden weaving tablets with four holes each, an iron needle and some yarn.
Research Interests:
Cloth remains from 1st millennium BC Greece are relatively rare. The majority of the surviving fragments have been preserved in a mineralised state on metal objects. Re-examination of metal and other artefacts in museum collections is... more
Cloth remains from 1st millennium BC Greece are relatively rare. The majority of the surviving fragments have been preserved in a mineralised state on metal objects. Re-examination of metal and other artefacts in museum collections is increasingly adding to the existing textile corpus. Recently, the remains of two new textile fragments were identified on finds presented to the British Museum by the British Salonica Force in 1919. The paper presents the textiles and discusses their sig- nificance within the larger corpus of extant classical Greek textiles.
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In E. Pellegrini, “Un aspetto delle necropoli etrusche di Grotte di Castro: le tombe a fossa con circolo di Vigna La Piazza”, 265-267, Annali Faina XX, 337-339, 346 figs. 1-4. This appendix provides structural analysis and fibre... more
In E. Pellegrini, “Un aspetto delle necropoli etrusche di Grotte di Castro: le tombe a fossa con circolo di Vigna La Piazza”, 265-267, Annali Faina XX, 337-339, 346 figs. 1-4.
This appendix provides structural analysis and fibre identification of mineralised textiles from two burials excavated at the Vigna La Piazza necropolis of Grotte di Castro, dated to the 8th-6th c. BCE.
This appendix provides structural analysis and fibre identification of mineralised textiles from two burials excavated at the Vigna La Piazza necropolis of Grotte di Castro, dated to the 8th-6th c. BCE.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Etruscan, Etruscan Archaeology, Etruscan Funerary Art, Etruscology, Etruscan language, and 10 moreTarquinia, Etruscan studies, Etruscan and Corinthian Pottery, Italic Archaeology, Etruscology, Greek and Roman Archaeology, Etruscan and pre-Roman archaeology, Necropolis, Etruscologia, Etruschi, Ancient Greek and Roman Necropoleis, and Etruscan pottery
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In the light of recent discoveries of early to middle Bronze Age burials with mats and fibrous material in Scotland, for example at Langwell farm and Forteviot, it was deemed timely to re-evaluate earlier finds of this period, several of... more
In the light of recent discoveries of early to middle Bronze Age burials with mats and fibrous material in Scotland, for example at Langwell farm and Forteviot, it was deemed timely to re-evaluate earlier finds of this period, several of which were discovered and initially reported on nearly a century ago. As part of this research it was noted that three Bronze Age finds from the old literature were reported as clothing or shrouds made of hair moss (Polytrichum commune). Three of these are reassessed here, with a detailed re-examination of the “hair moss apron” from North Cairn Farm. Technological analysis of this find showed no evidence for the twining previously reported and SEM fibre analysis shows that it is unlikely to be hair moss or indeed Bronze Age. However, there is other evidence for hair moss artefacts from other British Bronze Age and Roman contexts. These suggest it is possible that hair moss fibre was used in Scotland in the Bronze Age, but that the North Cairn Farm fibrous object should no longer be considered among this evidence.
Research Interests: Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Textiles, History of Textiles, Scottish Studies, and 24 moreScottish History, Textile Archaeology, Bronze Age Europe (Archaeology), Bronze Age Archaeology, Textile and Fiber Art, Death and Burial (Archaeology), Basketry (Archaeology), Burial Practices (Archaeology), Bronze Age (Archaeology), Fibres and textiles, Early Bronze Age (Archaeology), Roman Textile Production, Archaeology of burials, Bronze Age, Early Bronze Age, Scotland, Archaeology of death and burial, Scottish Archaeology, Burial Customs, Plant Based Fibres, NATURAL FIBRES, Fibre, Mosses, and Plant Fibre Textiles
Women’s role in textile production of Southern Italy during the Iron Age has been amply demonstrated by archaeological, iconographic and literary evidence. In fact, textile craft became a symbol of the female sphere of life. Women’s... more
Women’s role in textile production of Southern Italy during the Iron Age has been amply demonstrated by archaeological, iconographic and literary evidence. In fact, textile craft became a symbol of the female sphere of life. Women’s contribution to the community as textile workers was recognized by the deposition of spinning and weaving implements in their burials. Every region and even every community had its own rules for the type and number of implements chosen to be deposited with the dead. Aspects such as gender, status, age and specialisation were expressed by different types and combinations of textile tools included as burial goods. This paper examines general implications of these practices for our understanding of the social and economic role played by women in the Early Iron Age communities of Southern Italy.
Research Interests:
The paper presents a new project “PROCON: Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in Mediterranean Europe 1000–500 BCE” (2013–2018), funded by a European Research Council starting grant. The aim of the project is to... more
The paper presents a new project “PROCON: Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in Mediterranean Europe 1000–500 BCE” (2013–2018), funded by a European Research Council starting grant. The aim of the project is to test the hypothesis that textile production and consumption were significant driving forces of the economy and of the creation and perception of wealth in Mediterranean Europe during the period of urbanisation and early urbanism in the Iron Age (1000–500 BCE). The project structure encompasses four research strands within the chaîne opératoire of textile economy: Resources, Production, Product and Consumption and Exchange which address the specific objectives of the project on the basis of selected case studies and using an interdisciplinary combination of methods to investigate textiles, textile tools, textile iconography, archaeozoological and archaeobotanical remains, as well as relevant written sources.
Research Interests:
In the past few years the field of archaeological textile research has witnessed a major dynamism as demonstrated by numerous conferences and publications on the topic, as well as establishment of large-scale interdisciplinary... more
In the past few years the field of archaeological textile research has witnessed a major dynamism as demonstrated by numerous conferences and publications on the topic, as well as establishment of large-scale interdisciplinary collaborative programmes, such as the Centre for Textile Research funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (2005-2015) and the pan-European project Clothing and Identities - New Perspectives on Textiles in the Roman Empire (DressID) funded by the European Union Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (2007-2012). These activities demonstrate not only that the field holds great potential in elucidating many aspects of past cultures, such as economy, technology, trade, fashion and religion, but also that at the moment there is a developing energy, expertise and collaborative will to draw from. The necessary next step is to lead this growing field into answering some of the fundamental questions of archaeology, where evidence for textiles has hitherto been virtually unexplored. Compared to Central and Northern Europe, textile research Italy has been a rather neglected field until recently. The reason most often cited for the absence of studies on ancient textiles in Italy is their extremely poor preservation. Textiles, however, are much more common finds than generally thought and survive in original organic state but also as carbonised and mineralised traces, as well as in the form of imprints. In addition, there are numerous other sources of evidence, such as textile tools, palaebotanic and archaeozoological remains, as well as iconographic and written sources, which permit us to gain valuable information about many and varied aspects of textile production in ancient Italy. The scientific methods have been or are being developed within archaeology (such as ancient DNA studies, isotopic tracing) that can be applied to gain new knowledge about ancient textiles on unprecedented scale. The interdisciplinary workshop will gather specialists in these fields in order to bring together and to discuss the various methods and approaches to textile and fibre studies in ancient Italy. The overall aim of this session is to demonstrate the potential of archaeological textiles and related sources for the investigation of ancient Italian economy, technology and agriculture and to discuss new methods that can be applied to the investigation of ancient textiles.
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Textile production and consumption defined the development of productive and commercial activities of ancient societies at least since the Neolithic. The generic term ‘textile’, however, covers a wide range of finished products, made from... more
Textile production and consumption defined the development of productive and commercial activities of ancient societies at least since the Neolithic. The generic term ‘textile’, however, covers a wide range of finished products, made from a variety of raw materials. Plants such as flax, hemp and nettle were among the most important resources for making textiles and the technologies of their transformation into usable fibre were complex and significantly influenced the economy of textile production throughout history. Thus, the quick adoption of sheep wool as preferred textile fibre in the Old World during the Bronze Age was largely conditioned by the fact that plant fibre acquisition and processing were time and labour consuming. Recent studies furthermore demonstrated that, in Europe, until the Late Bronze Age and possibly into the Iron Age, plant fibres were transformed into yarn by splicing rather than draft spinning. Splicing involved partial or no retting of the plant and direct removal of fibre bundles from the plant which are subsequently joint at the ends. Draft spinning, on the other hand, involved complete retting of the plan in dew or water in order to decompose the parts of the plant surround the fibres, followed by thorough processing of the fibres and spinning by continuous drafting using a spindle. Splicing was used in ancient Egypt throughout its history but only recently was identified in European textiles. Retting and draft spinning technology would have allowed faster processing of larger quantities of plant materials and a creation of a more homogenous yarn, and consequently textiles. After a brief introduction into plant fibre archaeology, the lecture will explore the possible reasons for the late switch from splicing to drafting of plant fibres and how it may have influenced the social and economic development of the Mediterranean societies in the first millennium BCE.
Ancient literary sources indicate that, by the beginning of the Common Era, different textile types and qualities were available to Roman consumers and many of the best fibres were produced in Italy, from where they spread throughout the... more
Ancient literary sources indicate that, by the beginning of the Common Era, different textile types and qualities were available to Roman consumers and many of the best fibres were produced in Italy, from where they spread throughout the Roman Empire in the form of sheep, raw materials or finished textiles. The variety observed during the Roman times reflects a long period of evolution, based on selective breeding and cultivation, as well as development of new and more effective processing, spinning and weaving technologies. Recent investigations demonstrate that major changes in fibre development and processing took place in the Mediterranean Europe sometime around the turn from the Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age. Thus, the change in sheep coat involved the development from a primitive wool with very fine underwool and very coarse kemps to the appearance of much more uniform fleece without kemps, as well as subsequent diversification of fleeces during the 1st millennium BCE, possibly reflecting the coexistence of several sheep varieties. Meanwhile, linen production intensified when splicing was replaced by spinning as a means to produce yarn, possibly due to increasing demands for sail cloth. This diversification and optimisation of textile fibres was both the result of, and a requirement for, the specialised and large scale cloth production needed by the urban centres which developed in Mediterranean Europe during the Iron Age. The paper will explore the evidence for and the consequences of these changes.
The paper will present a new 5-year project, funded by the European Research Council starting grant, Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in Mediterranean Europe 1000-500 BCE (PROCON). The project aims to test the... more
The paper will present a new 5-year project, funded by the European Research Council starting grant, Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in Mediterranean Europe 1000-500 BCE (PROCON). The project aims to test the hypothesis that textile production and consumption was a significant driving force of the economy and of the creation and perception of wealth in Mediterranean Europe during the period of urbanisation and early urbanism in 1000-500 BCE. The focus will be on the significance of the production and consumption of textiles for the development of city-states (as clothing, elite regalia, trade and exchange items) and the implications of this for other aspects of the economy, such as the use of farm land, labour resources and the development of urban lifestyle. This aim is achieved by addressing the following questions:
• How was this production and consumption organised: where did the various resources come from, what were the technologies used, what was the level of organisation?
• Who was involved in textile production and consumption?
• What was the quality and quantity of textiles produced and how they changed over time in response of urban consumer demands?
In exploring these questions the project follows not only a functional approach, but also considers the value ascribed to these goods and the customs that came with them. The geographical area selected for this study is eastern, central and western Mediterranean Europe, Greece, Italy and Spain. The chronological period chosen is the period between 1000 and 500 BCE, which roughly corresponds to the Early Iron Age in this area. The reason for choosing the area in question in the Early Iron Age period is that this was the first time in history when a more or less exclusive preference for urban settlement - prevalent in Europe to this day - achieved a truly pan-European scale. Urban life led to new consumption practices requiring new and different structures to sustain them. Consumption of textiles is defined by the quantity and quality of consumables produced, which in turn depends on the level of production organisation and the availability of material and human resources. Using established and novel approaches to textile research, the project results aim to change the landscape of urbanisation research by providing new data sets demonstrating textile production and consumption as major economic and social factors.
• How was this production and consumption organised: where did the various resources come from, what were the technologies used, what was the level of organisation?
• Who was involved in textile production and consumption?
• What was the quality and quantity of textiles produced and how they changed over time in response of urban consumer demands?
In exploring these questions the project follows not only a functional approach, but also considers the value ascribed to these goods and the customs that came with them. The geographical area selected for this study is eastern, central and western Mediterranean Europe, Greece, Italy and Spain. The chronological period chosen is the period between 1000 and 500 BCE, which roughly corresponds to the Early Iron Age in this area. The reason for choosing the area in question in the Early Iron Age period is that this was the first time in history when a more or less exclusive preference for urban settlement - prevalent in Europe to this day - achieved a truly pan-European scale. Urban life led to new consumption practices requiring new and different structures to sustain them. Consumption of textiles is defined by the quantity and quality of consumables produced, which in turn depends on the level of production organisation and the availability of material and human resources. Using established and novel approaches to textile research, the project results aim to change the landscape of urbanisation research by providing new data sets demonstrating textile production and consumption as major economic and social factors.
Archaeological textiles are relatively rare finds in Mediterranean Europe, but many fragments survive in a mineralised form. Numerous mineralised textiles found in Italy and Greece have been analysed recently, and provide much information... more
Archaeological textiles are relatively rare finds in Mediterranean Europe, but many fragments survive in a mineralised form. Numerous mineralised textiles found in Italy and Greece have been analysed recently, and provide much information about textile technology and role in ancient societies. Preliminary analysis of numerous mineralised textile fragments preserved in rich burials demonstrates that Italian populations from Veneto to Basilicata were familiar with the same complex textile technologies, which allowed creation of textiles that would have had a rather similar appearance. All of these burials include textiles woven in twill weave, and these twills are balanced, often spin-patterned, and have a rather homogeneous and quite fine quality. Threads have diameters below 0.5 mm and thread counts are usually 20-30 threads per cm. Last but not least, these twill textiles often have tablet-woven borders, almost certainly added to the garment when the base textile was already finished. Textile evidence from Central Europe indicates that Hallstatt elite also consumed textiles with very similar technical characteristics. This is hardly surprising, since the peoples of central Europe and of Italy were in much more regular contact than earlier thought. In contrast, recent work on archaeological textiles in Greece demonstrates that ancient Greek fabrics were primarily made in tabby weave, often unbalanced, with weft thread counts often reaching 60 and even 100 threads per cm. The paper aims to compare the textile traditions which developed in Central and Eastern Mediterranean during the Iron Age, presenting some of the approaches used in the European Research Council funded project Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in Mediterranean Europe 1000-500 BCE (PROCON).
A textile is the result of complex interactions between resources, technology, and society and as such, it is a repository for (prised) fibres, dyes, dedicated human labour, skill and art, as well as social meaning. The very broad... more
A textile is the result of complex interactions between resources, technology, and society and as such, it is a repository for (prised) fibres, dyes, dedicated human labour, skill and art, as well as social meaning. The very broad possibilities of construction, colour and patterning give textiles almost limitless possibilities for the communication of social values. Worn or displayed in an emblematic way, textiles can denote variations in age, sex, rank, status or group affiliation. Textiles are hence a cultural product the design and use of which are subject to cultural patterning and as such they can be used to establish the visual frontier of an individual or a group with respect to other individuals or groups. What one wears and how one wears it are key aspects in the discussion of clothing as an indicator of identity. Both can be put into the category of fashion. A system of fashion is structured on innovation and change, because fashion supports status. We will argue that, in Iron Age Italy, textile production and consumption were frontier activities of the elites, serving to legitimise their economic and political power.
The paper will present some of approaches that will be developed in the recently awarded ERC funded project Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in Mediterranean Europe 1000-500 BCE (PROCON).
The paper will present some of approaches that will be developed in the recently awarded ERC funded project Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in Mediterranean Europe 1000-500 BCE (PROCON).
While the earliest indication of the use of shellfish purple dye in Italy comes from the Early-Middle Bronze Age site of Coppa Nevigata in South Italy, where tens of thousands of mollusc Hexaplex trunculus shells have been excavated,... more
While the earliest indication of the use of shellfish purple dye in Italy comes from the Early-Middle Bronze Age site of Coppa Nevigata in South Italy, where tens of thousands of mollusc Hexaplex trunculus shells have been excavated, until now none of the surviving pre-Roman textile fragments found in Italy have tested positive for this dye. The paper presents dye test results of mineralised textiles from the necropolis of Strozzacapponi near Perugia, Italy dated to the 2nd-1st centuries BCE. Textiles from several burials preserving traces of pink or purple colour represent the first and earliest direct evidence for the use of shellfish purple for dyeing textiles in Italy. The evidence for shellfish purple production in pre-Roman Italy will be reviewed in the context of this new discovery.
Textile remains were recovered in the course of an ongoing project in Samdzong, Upper Mustang, Nepal, a location close to the border with Tibet. The sites are shaft tombs in very high altitude, remote locations, dated to the 5th-8th... more
Textile remains were recovered in the course of an ongoing project in Samdzong, Upper Mustang, Nepal, a location close to the border with Tibet. The sites are shaft tombs in very high altitude, remote locations, dated to the 5th-8th centuries CE. The dry climate and high altitude favoured the preservation of organic materials, which generally do not survive in archaeological contexts, permitting exploration of textile technology in the area. One of the objects recovered from the elite Samdzong 5 tomb complex is composed of textile bands to which copper, glass and cloth beads are attached and may constitute the remains of a complex decorative headwear, which may have been attached to a gold/silver mask. Another textile from Samdzong 5 is a very fine silk fabric dyed red. There is no evidence for local silk production and the technical features of the find suggest that Samdzong was inserted into the long-distance trade network of the Silk Road. The paper presents the first results of textile and dye analyses of the Samdzong textiles and explores how indigenous communities in Nepal developed and adapted new textile technologies to fit local cultural and economical needs. The wider implications of these findings are discussed.
Since early prehistory, textiles have had more than simply a utilitarian function and in many societies they were among the most important objects of applied arts. A textile is the result of complex interactions between resources,... more
Since early prehistory, textiles have had more than simply a utilitarian function and in many societies they were among the most important objects of applied arts. A textile is the result of complex interactions between resources, technology, and society and as such, it is a repository for (prised) fibres, dyes, dedicated human labour, skill and art, as well as social meaning. Textiles thus have an enormous potential in archaeological and historical research to inform us of social, chronological and cultural aspects of ancient societies. This introductory paper will provide an overview on early textile preservation, analytical techniques and examples which illustrate the enormous variety of information which can be obtained through study of this fascinating material.
While the earliest indication of the use of shellfish purple dye in Italy comes from the Early-Middle Bronze Age site of CoppaNevigata in South Italy, where tens of thousands of molluscHexaplextrunculus shells have been excavated, until... more
While the earliest indication of the use of shellfish purple dye in Italy comes from the Early-Middle Bronze Age site of CoppaNevigata in South Italy, where tens of thousands of molluscHexaplextrunculus shells have been excavated, until now none of the surviving pre-Roman textile fragments found in Italy have tested positive for this dye. The paper presents dye test results of mineralised textiles from the necropolis of Strozzacapponi near Perugia, Italy dated to the 2nd-1st centuries BCE. Textiles from several burials preserving traces of pink or purple colour representthe first and earliest direct evidence for the use of shellfish purple for dyeing textiles in Italy. The evidence for shellfish purple production in pre-Roman Italy will be reviewed in the context of this new discovery.
The paper presents the methodology and some of the results of the project FIBRE (textile Fibre in Italy Before Roman Empire, 2009-2011), which aims to deepen our understanding of the development of textile fibres in the Apennine peninsula... more
The paper presents the methodology and some of the results of the project FIBRE (textile Fibre in Italy Before Roman Empire, 2009-2011), which aims to deepen our understanding of the development of textile fibres in the Apennine peninsula (Italy) in pre-Roman times through a systematic collection of data and analysis of wool fibre samples obtained from archaeological textiles. The data collected provides a much clearer and more elaborate picture of the development of textile fibres used and their profound impact on technology, agriculture, animal husbandry and society in Italy from prehistory until Roman period.
Nel corso dell’antichità la produzione tessile era praticata ad ogni livello sociale e costituiva una delle attività più laboriose ed intensive. Si tratta quindi di un'attività di grande importanza culturale ed economica e, come tale, va... more
Nel corso dell’antichità la produzione tessile era praticata ad ogni livello sociale e costituiva una delle attività più laboriose ed intensive. Si tratta quindi di un'attività di grande importanza culturale ed economica e, come tale, va annoverata tra i parametri di valutazione del sistema economico antico. Nel corso degli ultimi vent’anni gli studi sui tessuti hanno sviluppato una nuova importante ramificazione in campo archeologico dimostrando quanto si possa apprendere sulla cultura, società, tecnologia e d economia del mondo antico proprio attraverso lo studio dei reperti tessili recuperati dai contesti archeologici.
La qualità e l’aspetto del tessuto dipendono dal materiale con cui è stato prodotto, cioè dalla fibra tessile stessa. Lo studio delle fibre tessili, quindi, va al di là della semplice identificazione del materiale di origine. Studiando la fibra a livello microscopico possiamo approfondire la nostra conoscenza sulle questioni di riproduzione/coltivazione selettiva, di lavorazione delle fibre, e del loro logoramento. L’utilizzazione delle fibre ha avuto un forte impatto sulle strategie di sussistenza delle società antiche, che subirono forti trasformazioni quando le fibre vegetali furono in gran parte soppiantate dalle fibre animali durante l’Età del Bronzo. Questi fattori sono fondamentali per la comprensione dell’agricoltura, dell’allevamento del bestiame, della domesticazione e della tecnologia.
Questa relazione presenta alcuni risultati preliminari del progetto FIBRE (textile Fibre in Italy Before Roman Empire, 2009-2011), il cui scopo è quello di aumentare le conoscenze sulle tibre tessili nell’ Italia preistorica e protostorica attraverso la raccolta sistematica di dati e l’analisi di campioni di fibre ottenuti dai tessuti ritrovati sui siti archeologici.
All’interno del progetto, lo sviluppo endogeno delle fibre di lana nell’Italia antica è indagato a livello macroscopico, microscopico e molecolare attraverso applicazioni mirate all’analisi delle fibre, tracciabilità degli isotopi di stronzio, analisi del DNA, delle tinte e altri metodi. In questo studio sono incclusi materiali della Prima Età del Ferro provenienti da Castione dei Marchesi, Padova, Este e altri siti. I dati raccolti forniscono un quadro più chiaro e articolato dello sviluppo della lana utilizzata per la tessitura basato sulla selezione e l’ampliamento di tecnologie di lavorazione e del loro impatto profondo sulla tecnologia, agricoltura, allevamento del bestiame e sulla società della penisola italiana all’epoca protostorica.
La qualità e l’aspetto del tessuto dipendono dal materiale con cui è stato prodotto, cioè dalla fibra tessile stessa. Lo studio delle fibre tessili, quindi, va al di là della semplice identificazione del materiale di origine. Studiando la fibra a livello microscopico possiamo approfondire la nostra conoscenza sulle questioni di riproduzione/coltivazione selettiva, di lavorazione delle fibre, e del loro logoramento. L’utilizzazione delle fibre ha avuto un forte impatto sulle strategie di sussistenza delle società antiche, che subirono forti trasformazioni quando le fibre vegetali furono in gran parte soppiantate dalle fibre animali durante l’Età del Bronzo. Questi fattori sono fondamentali per la comprensione dell’agricoltura, dell’allevamento del bestiame, della domesticazione e della tecnologia.
Questa relazione presenta alcuni risultati preliminari del progetto FIBRE (textile Fibre in Italy Before Roman Empire, 2009-2011), il cui scopo è quello di aumentare le conoscenze sulle tibre tessili nell’ Italia preistorica e protostorica attraverso la raccolta sistematica di dati e l’analisi di campioni di fibre ottenuti dai tessuti ritrovati sui siti archeologici.
All’interno del progetto, lo sviluppo endogeno delle fibre di lana nell’Italia antica è indagato a livello macroscopico, microscopico e molecolare attraverso applicazioni mirate all’analisi delle fibre, tracciabilità degli isotopi di stronzio, analisi del DNA, delle tinte e altri metodi. In questo studio sono incclusi materiali della Prima Età del Ferro provenienti da Castione dei Marchesi, Padova, Este e altri siti. I dati raccolti forniscono un quadro più chiaro e articolato dello sviluppo della lana utilizzata per la tessitura basato sulla selezione e l’ampliamento di tecnologie di lavorazione e del loro impatto profondo sulla tecnologia, agricoltura, allevamento del bestiame e sulla società della penisola italiana all’epoca protostorica.
Ancient literary sources indicate that by the beginning of the Common Era, different qualities of wool were available to Roman consumers and many of the best fibres were produced in Italy, from where they spread throughout the Roman... more
Ancient literary sources indicate that by the beginning of the Common Era, different qualities of wool were available to Roman consumers and many of the best fibres were produced in Italy, from where they spread throughout the Roman Empire in the form of sheep, raw materials or finished textiles. Until now however, the research has focused on archaeological textiles from the periphery of the Roman Empire: to the south, textiles, papyri and ostraca found in Roman Egypt have made the textile industry of that province the best known in the Roman history; to the north, archaeological textiles of Central and Northern Europe have been scrutinised and provide some understanding of textile production in Northern Roman provinces and beyond. Data obtained from these archaeological textiles indicate an appearance of new fibre types with increased Roman influence in these peripheral areas. Yet the heart of the Roman world and the focal point where all influences met - Italy itself - is still a relatively blind spot on a European textile and fibre map.
This paper presents some of the results of the project FIBRE (textile Fibre in Italy Before Roman Empire, 2009-2011), which aims to build on the achieved knowledge by focusing, for the first time, on Italy through a systematic collection of data and analysis of fibre samples obtained from archaeological textiles found on archaeological sites throughout Italy. The endogenous development of textile fibres in ancient Italy is investigated on a macroscopic, microscopic and molecular level through targeted application of fibre analysis, isotopic tracing, DNA analysis and other methods. Material included in the project ranges from the Bronze Age textiles from the North Italian sites Castione dei Marchesi and Lucone di Polpenazze, to the Early Iron Age items found at Verucchio, Sasso di Furbara and Casale Marittimo, to the Roman period fibres from Rome and Vesuvius area. The data collected will give a much clearer and more elaborate picture of the development of textile fibres used and their profound impact on technology, agriculture, animal husbandry and society in Italy from prehistory until Roman period.
This paper presents some of the results of the project FIBRE (textile Fibre in Italy Before Roman Empire, 2009-2011), which aims to build on the achieved knowledge by focusing, for the first time, on Italy through a systematic collection of data and analysis of fibre samples obtained from archaeological textiles found on archaeological sites throughout Italy. The endogenous development of textile fibres in ancient Italy is investigated on a macroscopic, microscopic and molecular level through targeted application of fibre analysis, isotopic tracing, DNA analysis and other methods. Material included in the project ranges from the Bronze Age textiles from the North Italian sites Castione dei Marchesi and Lucone di Polpenazze, to the Early Iron Age items found at Verucchio, Sasso di Furbara and Casale Marittimo, to the Roman period fibres from Rome and Vesuvius area. The data collected will give a much clearer and more elaborate picture of the development of textile fibres used and their profound impact on technology, agriculture, animal husbandry and society in Italy from prehistory until Roman period.
Recent archaeological work has shown that southern Italy was densely occupied at least from the Late Bronze Age. Many Early Iron Age centres demonstrate precocious capacity of territorial planning and as early as the 9th century BCE, it... more
Recent archaeological work has shown that southern Italy was densely occupied at least from the Late Bronze Age. Many Early Iron Age centres demonstrate precocious capacity of territorial planning and as early as the 9th century BCE, it is possible to speak of ‘proto-urban’ societies in Campania, the Sybarite and Metapontine regions, and, possibly, the Salentine peninsula. This process was accompanied by important technological transformations, recorded qualitatively and quantitatively by the excavated artefacts. Fibulae were already standardised at the beginning of the Early Iron Age, indicating the existence of specialised craftsmen, and the standardisation of ceramic production had commenced in some areas already in the mid-9th century BCE. The Early Iron Age also saw the development of luxury and surplus textile production on a larger and/or more specialised scale. At the same time, textile manufacture continued to be practiced at all levels of society and was one of the most labor-intensive of occupations. Archaeological, iconographic and literary evidence indicates that, in southern Italy, spinning and weaving were practiced primarily by women. Already at the end of the Bronze Age, the deposition of spindle whorls, loom weights and spools in female funerary assemblages testifies to women’s contribution to the communities as textile workers. This paper will discuss the evidence for women’s role in textile production of indigenous communities in Iron Age southern Italy and the craft’s social and economic roles.
Throughout antiquity, textile manufacture was practiced on all levels of society and was one of the most labor-intensive of all occupations. As such, it was an industry of great cultural and economic importance, which should be factored... more
Throughout antiquity, textile manufacture was practiced on all levels of society and was one of the most labor-intensive of all occupations. As such, it was an industry of great cultural and economic importance, which should be factored into any balanced assessment of the ancient economy. The belief that textiles hardly ever survive in archaeological contexts of Italy has tended to discourage discussions of textile production in broader studies of production and exchange in Etruria. Textiles, however, do survive much more frequently than is commonly believed. Furthermore, most Etruscan sites preserve a great quantity of tools associated with textile production, and these may also be used to investigate textile production and its technological and economic aspects. By examining, on the basis of the available evidence, how textile technology relates to such important concepts as urbanization, craft specialization, gender, trade, and socio-political development in Italy during the protohistoric period, it will become possible to reconstruct a craft that has been unjustifiably missing from the pages of Etruscan history. After all, at least half of Etruscan population was engaged in textile production.
Denmark possesses a unique collection of prehistoric garments recovered from bogs and burials, dated to the Early Iron Age, that is the period between 500 BC and AD 400. They provide an outstanding contribution to the understanding of the... more
Denmark possesses a unique collection of prehistoric garments recovered from bogs and burials, dated to the Early Iron Age, that is the period between 500 BC and AD 400. They provide an outstanding contribution to the understanding of the prehistoric textile and costume development. Today, all bog textiles range in colour from light to dark brown due to impregnation with tannins over the centuries spent in the bog and while the patterns are often difficult to discern, the majority of the textiles have striped or checked patterns. Until recently, it has been assumed that to create these colour patterns only naturally pigmented fibres were used and and that dyeing did not appear in Scandinavia until the Roman Iron Age.
The re-examination of Danish bog finds within the framework of the research programme Textiles and Costumes from the Bronze and Early Iron Ages in Danish Collections started in 2006 warranted a closer look at the question of dyeing in Early Iron Age Scandinavia. The recent results of dye analyses conducted by the Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for Textile Research in Copenhagen in collaboration with the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK/IRPA) in Belgium, have changed our knowledge dramatically. In total, 188 samples from 47 textiles were analysed using high performance liquid chromatography with photo diode array detection, currently the most appropriate technique for natural organic dye analysis. Both warp and weft were sampled in each case and all threads of differing colours, where present, were tested. Most of the textiles included in this study have never been tested for dyes. Dye components were detected in the majority of the analysed samples. The results clearly indicate that most Danish peat bog textiles originally were dyed and that already during the 1st millennium BC, the populations in Denmark were familiar with the dyeing technology. These new results allow us to put colour in the Early Iron Age Danish costume, which until now has been seen in black and white.
The re-examination of Danish bog finds within the framework of the research programme Textiles and Costumes from the Bronze and Early Iron Ages in Danish Collections started in 2006 warranted a closer look at the question of dyeing in Early Iron Age Scandinavia. The recent results of dye analyses conducted by the Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for Textile Research in Copenhagen in collaboration with the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK/IRPA) in Belgium, have changed our knowledge dramatically. In total, 188 samples from 47 textiles were analysed using high performance liquid chromatography with photo diode array detection, currently the most appropriate technique for natural organic dye analysis. Both warp and weft were sampled in each case and all threads of differing colours, where present, were tested. Most of the textiles included in this study have never been tested for dyes. Dye components were detected in the majority of the analysed samples. The results clearly indicate that most Danish peat bog textiles originally were dyed and that already during the 1st millennium BC, the populations in Denmark were familiar with the dyeing technology. These new results allow us to put colour in the Early Iron Age Danish costume, which until now has been seen in black and white.
Nel corso dell’antichità, la produzione tessile veniva praticata ad ogni livello sociale e costituiva una delle attività più laboriose ed intensive. Si trattava di un'attività di grande importanza culturale ed economica e, come tale, va... more
Nel corso dell’antichità, la produzione tessile veniva praticata ad ogni livello sociale e costituiva una delle attività più laboriose ed intensive. Si trattava di un'attività di grande importanza culturale ed economica e, come tale, va annoverata tra i parametri di valutazione del sistema economico antico. Nel corso degli ultimi vent’anni, gli studi sui tessili hanno sviluppato una nuova importante ramificazione in campo archeologico, dimostrando quanto si possa apprendere sulla cultura, sulla società, sulla tecnologia e sull’economia del mondo antico proprio attraverso lo studio dei reperti tessili recuperati dai contesti archeologici.
Questa relazione presenta alcuni risultati preliminari del progetto FIBRE (textile Fibre in Italy Before Roman Empire, 2009-2011), il cui scopo è di aumentare le conoscenze su tibre tessili in Italia preistorica e protostorica, attraverso la raccolta sistematica di dati e l’analisi di campioni di fibre ottenuti dai tessili ritrovati nei siti archeologici, in particolare di Etruria.
Lo sviluppo endogeno delle fibre tessili nell’Italia antica è indagato a livello macroscopico, microscopico e molecolare attraverso applicazioni mirate all’analisi delle fibre, tacciabilità dei isotopi di stronzio, analisi del DNA, delle tinte e altri metodi. In questo studio sono inclusi materiali della Prima Età del Ferro provenienti da Verucchio, Sasso di Furbara, Casale Marittimo, Chianciano e altri siti. I dati raccolti forniscono un quadro più chiaro e articolato dello sviluppo delle fibre tessili utilizzate basato sulla selezione e lo sviluppo delle tecnologie di lavorazione e del loro profondo impatto sulla tecnologia, sull’agricoltura, sull’allevamento del bestiame e sulla società della penisola italiana nell’epoca protostorica.
Questa relazione presenta alcuni risultati preliminari del progetto FIBRE (textile Fibre in Italy Before Roman Empire, 2009-2011), il cui scopo è di aumentare le conoscenze su tibre tessili in Italia preistorica e protostorica, attraverso la raccolta sistematica di dati e l’analisi di campioni di fibre ottenuti dai tessili ritrovati nei siti archeologici, in particolare di Etruria.
Lo sviluppo endogeno delle fibre tessili nell’Italia antica è indagato a livello macroscopico, microscopico e molecolare attraverso applicazioni mirate all’analisi delle fibre, tacciabilità dei isotopi di stronzio, analisi del DNA, delle tinte e altri metodi. In questo studio sono inclusi materiali della Prima Età del Ferro provenienti da Verucchio, Sasso di Furbara, Casale Marittimo, Chianciano e altri siti. I dati raccolti forniscono un quadro più chiaro e articolato dello sviluppo delle fibre tessili utilizzate basato sulla selezione e lo sviluppo delle tecnologie di lavorazione e del loro profondo impatto sulla tecnologia, sull’agricoltura, sull’allevamento del bestiame e sulla società della penisola italiana nell’epoca protostorica.
Gold was exploited for the beautification of clothes as early as the Bronze Age in the form of gold appliqués sewn onto the garments. It is unclear how early the practice of making gold thread began, but most ancient sources attribute the... more
Gold was exploited for the beautification of clothes as early as the Bronze Age in the form of gold appliqués sewn onto the garments. It is unclear how early the practice of making gold thread began, but most ancient sources attribute the invention of gold thread to the Near East. The precious purple and golden textiles were famous already during the Hellenistic period. Archaeological confirmation for their existence comes from Greece, Italy, Spain and the Near East, the finds having been dated from the 4th century BCE to the 2nd century CE. However, the centre of production of these precious textiles remains a matter of debate. The paper aims to discuss the existing evidence for the use and production of the gold thread in the Mediterranean in ancient times.
DNA has been used for some time in studies of the past and it is a rapidly developing research field with great potential. Genetic data from archaeological specimens provides an important new source of information for addressing questions... more
DNA has been used for some time in studies of the past and it is a rapidly developing research field with great potential. Genetic data from archaeological specimens provides an important new source of information for addressing questions in prehistory. Ancient DNA sequence analysis can provide information on past genetic structure and diversity of animals, which can help to reveal the origin and history of domestic animals. Recent research has thrown considerable light on the history of domestic sheep, although few studies are based on ancient sheep specimens. DNA analysis can be used to investigate sheep phylogeny, or evolutionary relationships between different breeds and provide information about the domestication, use and economy of sheep. In animal genetic studies the material commonly used consists of bones. Wool textiles recovered from archaeological contexts provide a unique and never before explored source of ancient sheep DNA, even though hair has been demonstrated to contain DNA in other species. Analysis of wool textile samples may help to address the questions of specific sheep breeds and, consequently fibre and textile qualities, particularly when correlated with wool fibre analysis.
Techniques and methods are getting more refined allowing extraction of minute amounts of DNA, such as present in hair shaft, which can then be replicated. The recent sequencing and publication of the modern sheep genome will facilitate the identification of genes and genetic changes, which are the result of selective breeding.
The paper will provide an overview of the possibilities of DNA analysis for the studies of sheep domestication and will present the results of pilot project which aims at developing the methodology for wool textile use in ancient DNA sequencing by analysing modern sheep wool of different types (variation in pigmentation, fibre size, presence of dyes etc.), which subsequently will be applied to the archaeological material.
Techniques and methods are getting more refined allowing extraction of minute amounts of DNA, such as present in hair shaft, which can then be replicated. The recent sequencing and publication of the modern sheep genome will facilitate the identification of genes and genetic changes, which are the result of selective breeding.
The paper will provide an overview of the possibilities of DNA analysis for the studies of sheep domestication and will present the results of pilot project which aims at developing the methodology for wool textile use in ancient DNA sequencing by analysing modern sheep wool of different types (variation in pigmentation, fibre size, presence of dyes etc.), which subsequently will be applied to the archaeological material.
Miletos had a reputation for its woollen products in Classical times but textile production on the site was already developed during the Bronze Age. The paper presents preliminary analysis of the investigation of textile tools excavated... more
Miletos had a reputation for its woollen products in Classical times but textile production on the site was already developed during the Bronze Age. The paper presents preliminary analysis of the investigation of textile tools excavated in the Middle and Late Bronze Age contexts of Miletos. Statistical analysis of around 300 discoid and cylindrical loom weights and over 100 spindle whorls found in the Athena Tempel area of the site provides information about the type of cloth which could have been produced using them.
During the Early Iron Age (first half of the first millennium BC) central and southern Europe sees the development of stratified societies, manifested among other things in sumptuous burials of the elite members of society. These... more
During the Early Iron Age (first half of the first millennium BC) central and southern Europe sees the development of stratified societies, manifested among other things in sumptuous burials of the elite members of society. These so-called princely burials provide important information regarding ancient funerary rituals and beliefs in afterlife. One of the curious phenomena documented in these assemblages is the practice of wrapping in textiles and skins not only the body of the deceased, whether inhumed or cremated, but also various burial goods. The practice is well exemplified by the evidence from the princely burial at Hochdorf, in Germany, where all objects were carefully wrapped in cloth. It is unclear whether this phenomenon had a ritual significance in funerary context or represents a regular practice of safekeeping of precious, particularly metal objects. The finds indicate that such wrapping was common throughout Italy, Greece and the Alpine area, suggesting that the practice had a wide, pan-European significance. The paper examines the different ways of wrapping and their possible meaning.
The period from the tenth through the sixth century in the Apennine peninsula was the time of development from small villages of mostly egalitarian type, to large urban centres with social stratification and specialized crafts. Organized... more
The period from the tenth through the sixth century in the Apennine peninsula was the time of development from small villages of mostly egalitarian type, to large urban centres with social stratification and specialized crafts. Organized production intensified steadily during these centuries, as did commercial exchange throughout and beyond the Italian peninsular sphere. Archaeological evidence points to the development of new or more effective production processes, standardization and manufacture of objects for specific purposes. Such development occurred mainly under the patronage of elites who required them for the production of status markers and prestige goods. This paper explores how technological changes affected textile production and exchange in Italy during the first millennium BCE.
The symbolism of distaff and spindle is well known during the Roman period, when brides carried these tools during wedding processions. Their symbolic value, however, harks back to a much earlier period. Distaffs made in valuable... more
The symbolism of distaff and spindle is well known during the Roman period, when brides carried these tools during wedding processions. Their symbolic value, however, harks back to a much earlier period. Distaffs made in valuable materials, such as bronze, silver, amber and bone, appear in Early Iron Age elite female of Etruria, Latium and areas of Etruscan influence in North (Bologna, Verucchio, Este) and South Italy (Pontecagnano, Sala Consilina). The richness of burials with which they are associated indicates that these objects were particularly important markers of elite female status. Several different types of distaffs can be distinguished. While each type can be associated with specific production, their distribution pattern shows their movement large distances, indicating intermarriage as a likely motor. In this paper I will explore the issue of common Italic aristocratic female identity as expressed by these precious distaffs and other textile tools present among burial goods.
Denmark possesses a unique collection of prehistoric garments recovered from bogs and burials. They provide an outstanding contribution to the understanding of the prehistoric textile and costume development. For a long time it has been... more
Denmark possesses a unique collection of prehistoric garments recovered from bogs and burials. They provide an outstanding contribution to the understanding of the prehistoric textile and costume development. For a long time it has been accepted that particularly pre-Roman Early Iron Age textiles of Denmark were uncoloured. Patterns were achieved by combining different shades of naturally pigmented wool: white, black, grey and brown. Consequently all the reconstructions of Iron Age costumes have been conceived in ‘black-and-white’. The most recent results of dye analyses conducted by the Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for Textile Research in Copenhagen in collaboration with the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK/IRPA) in Belgium, within the framework of the research programme Textiles and Costumes from the Bronze and Early Iron Ages in Danish Collections have changed this picture dramatically. Over 200 samples from about 50 textiles dated 800 BC-AD 400 were analysed using high performance liquid chromatography with photo diode array detection, currently the most appropriate technique for natural organic dye analysis. Dye components were detected in the majority of the analysed samples. Most of the textiles included in this study have never been tested for dyes.
The paper will focus on the detected dye components found in the complete series of the Iron Age textile fragments and the interpretation of these results in terms of the archaeological, geographical and cultural context of these finds. Special highlights will be given to some of the most important textiles of the collection. Thus, one of the surprising results is that the famous Huldremose Woman’s costume can now be seen in colour: the skirt was blue/purple and the scarf was red. Likewise, the leg wrappers of the Søgards Mose Man were blue, while the woman from Krogens Mølle Mose had a skirt with three blue stripes just below the knees.
The paper will focus on the detected dye components found in the complete series of the Iron Age textile fragments and the interpretation of these results in terms of the archaeological, geographical and cultural context of these finds. Special highlights will be given to some of the most important textiles of the collection. Thus, one of the surprising results is that the famous Huldremose Woman’s costume can now be seen in colour: the skirt was blue/purple and the scarf was red. Likewise, the leg wrappers of the Søgards Mose Man were blue, while the woman from Krogens Mølle Mose had a skirt with three blue stripes just below the knees.
Corselets made of linen are known in the classical world at least since the time of the Homeric poems, when they were common enough military attire to be mentioned without explanation. In material, construction, and appearance, the linen... more
Corselets made of linen are known in the classical world at least since the time of the Homeric poems, when they were common enough military attire to be mentioned without explanation. In material, construction, and appearance, the linen corslet was distinct from the “muscle” cuirass, made of large sheets of metal and requiring careful fitting to the individual owner, and from scale armor, made of many small metal or leather pieces. Unlike these other types of armor, linen corselets have not survived in the archaeological record and are known mainly from literature. Artistic representations do exists, but have seldom been identified as such.
One of the most detailed depictions of linen corselets appears in the fourth-century BCE François Tomb at Vulci. The bluish-white color and the construction of the garments worn by Ajax Talamonios and Ajax Oileus indicate armor of linen fabric. Certain details of appearance, as well as distinctive decorative patterns, allow identification of such corselets in other, more schematic, representations on bronze mirrors, cistae, and statuettes, and stone and terracotta sarcophagi, from Archaic through Hellenistic periods.
This paper examines depictions of linen corselets in Etruscan art and explores the issue of their association with heroic characters, as well as the likelihood of their use in battle or on parade by Etruscan warriors.
One of the most detailed depictions of linen corselets appears in the fourth-century BCE François Tomb at Vulci. The bluish-white color and the construction of the garments worn by Ajax Talamonios and Ajax Oileus indicate armor of linen fabric. Certain details of appearance, as well as distinctive decorative patterns, allow identification of such corselets in other, more schematic, representations on bronze mirrors, cistae, and statuettes, and stone and terracotta sarcophagi, from Archaic through Hellenistic periods.
This paper examines depictions of linen corselets in Etruscan art and explores the issue of their association with heroic characters, as well as the likelihood of their use in battle or on parade by Etruscan warriors.
Our theme are formative elements of the identity of the Iron Age communities. This was the period, which immediately preceded the emergence of those communities on the historical stage, when they became, together with the Mediterranean... more
Our theme are formative elements of the identity of the Iron Age communities. This was the period, which immediately preceded the emergence of those communities on the historical stage, when they became, together with the Mediterranean world and the continental Europe, an essential element of a much wider picture of the European cultural dynamics. The selected region is the key link connecting three broad cultural zones of Europe: the Central Europe, Mediterranean and Eastern Europe. Due to its position, this relatively small region is of a key importance for our understanding of much broader processes of creation and change of identities in a much wider European framework. The identity of a prehistoric community is complex concept, whose definition requires an interdisciplinary approach. Of the many factors involved, this session will focus on three: food, textile and metal. Although the first two are basic life needs, the way in which those needs are fulfilled reflects a choice, which determined the way of life of the Iron Age communities, and is strongly correlated with their perception of the world and of their own identities. On the other hand, metals-primarily bronze and iron-were the main driving force behind setting up contacts and communication among diverse cultural groups, which paved the way for cultural transfer and alteration of identities of individual communities. We welcome papers, which will offer alternative to current paradigms of identity of Iron Age communities, such as the cultural group. The aim is to bring fresh ideas into discussion on individual and/or complex identities of the Iron Age communities between Alps, Pannonia and Balkans.
Research Interests: Identity (Culture), Archaeometallurgy, Early Iron Age, Archaeology of food, Archaeological textiles and clothing, and 2 moreCarpathian-Pannonian region and Late Bronze-Early Iron Age of Central Balkans; West European early Bronze Age monumental architecture; Caribbean historical archaeology// Late Medieval-Early Modern Sefardic Studies
Session abstract: The Eurasian Steppe region was fundamental in the development of multiple technologies and transregional networks of economic exchange long before the establishment of the Silk Roads. Far from being a periphery, the... more
Session abstract: The Eurasian Steppe region was fundamental in the development of multiple technologies and transregional networks of economic exchange long before the establishment of the Silk Roads. Far from being a periphery, the Eurasian Steppe region was the crucible in which fundamental technologies, languages, ideas and even pathogens originated and spread. Recent studies highlighting the exceptional scale and volume of Eurasian metallurgy and the emergence and spread wool textile technology in Eastern Europe, the Urals, Western Siberia and Kazakhstan are demonstrating that the Eurasian Steppe societies were at the heart of these technological development since the Bronze Age. Yet, although large-scale historical narratives spanning Europe and Asia have recently been gaining momentum, research dealing with specific technologies across this vast region remains disjointed, making it difficult to understand the broader patterns. The long-standing focus on headline-generating 'shiny' objects found in burials has led to the neglect of the necessities and realities of the complex economic systems, that required large-scale infrastructures to access raw materials and finished goods. The session will consider sources of materials and objects (food, wool, leather, metals, wood etc.) and their production technologies (metallurgy, animal husbandry, textile production) with the aim of reconstructing economic and technological networks which developed across the Eurasian Steppe region in its broadest geographical expansion from the Bronze Age until the end of the 1 st millennium BCE. We are particularly keen to see submissions which explore innovative scientific approaches to explore developments across time and space. DEADLINE: 11 February 2021 To submit an abstract please visit the EAA website: https://www.e-a-a.org/EAA2021/Home/EAA2021 If you have any questions, please contact one of the organisers.
Research Interests: Eurasian Nomads, Scythian archaeology, Scythians, Scythian and other Eurasian Nomadic Horse Warrior Cultures, Bronze Age Eurasia, and 3 moreCimmerians, Herodotus, Scythians, Pontic area, Black Sea area, Caucaaus, Near East, Anatolia, nomads, steppe peoples, Eurasian Steppe In the Bronze and Iron Ages, and Cimmerians Scythians Sarmatians
(Theme 1: Networks, networking, communication: archaeology of interactions) The Eurasian Steppe region was fundamental in the development of multiple technologies and transregional networks of economic exchange long before the... more
(Theme 1: Networks, networking, communication: archaeology of interactions)
The Eurasian Steppe region was fundamental in the development of multiple technologies and transregional networks of economic exchange long before the establishment of the Silk Roads. Far from being a periphery, the Eurasian Steppe region was the crucible in which fundamental technologies, languages, ideas and even pathogens originated and spread. Recent studies highlighting the exceptional scale and volume of Eurasian metallurgy and the emergence and spread wool textile technology in Eastern Europe, the Urals, Western Siberia and Kazakhstan are demonstrating that the Eurasian Steppe societies were at the heart of these technological development since the Bronze Age. Yet, although large-scale historical narratives spanning Europe and Asia have recently been gaining momentum, research dealing with specific technologies across this vast region remains disjointed, making it difficult to understand the broader patterns. The long-standing focus on headline-generating 'shiny' objects found in burials has led to the neglect of the necessities and realities of the complex economic systems, that required large-scale infrastructures to access raw materials and finished goods.
The session will consider sources of materials and objects (food, wool, leather, metals, wood etc.) and their production technologies (metallurgy, animal husbandry, textile production) with the aim of reconstructing economic and technological networks which developed across the Eurasian Steppe region in its broadest geographical expansion from the Bronze Age until the end of the 1st millennium BCE. We are particularly keen to see submissions which explore innovative scientific approaches to explore developments across time and space.
The Eurasian Steppe region was fundamental in the development of multiple technologies and transregional networks of economic exchange long before the establishment of the Silk Roads. Far from being a periphery, the Eurasian Steppe region was the crucible in which fundamental technologies, languages, ideas and even pathogens originated and spread. Recent studies highlighting the exceptional scale and volume of Eurasian metallurgy and the emergence and spread wool textile technology in Eastern Europe, the Urals, Western Siberia and Kazakhstan are demonstrating that the Eurasian Steppe societies were at the heart of these technological development since the Bronze Age. Yet, although large-scale historical narratives spanning Europe and Asia have recently been gaining momentum, research dealing with specific technologies across this vast region remains disjointed, making it difficult to understand the broader patterns. The long-standing focus on headline-generating 'shiny' objects found in burials has led to the neglect of the necessities and realities of the complex economic systems, that required large-scale infrastructures to access raw materials and finished goods.
The session will consider sources of materials and objects (food, wool, leather, metals, wood etc.) and their production technologies (metallurgy, animal husbandry, textile production) with the aim of reconstructing economic and technological networks which developed across the Eurasian Steppe region in its broadest geographical expansion from the Bronze Age until the end of the 1st millennium BCE. We are particularly keen to see submissions which explore innovative scientific approaches to explore developments across time and space.
Research Interests:
International symposium 18-19 May 2017 Organisers: Joanne Cutler, Beatriz Marin Aguilera and Margarita Gleba In the past few years the field of archaeological textile research has witnessed a major dynamism as demonstrated by numerous... more
International symposium 18-19 May 2017
Organisers: Joanne Cutler, Beatriz Marin Aguilera and Margarita Gleba
In the past few years the field of archaeological textile research has witnessed a major dynamism as demonstrated by numerous conferences and publications on the topic, as well as establishment of large-scale interdisciplinary collaborative projects. The necessary next step is to integrate this growing field of study into wider academic discourse in order to address some of the wider research questions where evidence for textiles has hitherto been virtually unexplored. The project PROCON Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in the Mediterranean Europe in 1000-500 BC (PROCON), funded by the European Research Council Starting Grant (2013-2018) and hosted by the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, UK, aims to test the hypothesis that textile production and consumption was a significant driving force of the economy and of the creation and perception of wealth in Mediterranean Europe during the period of urbanisation and early urbanism in 1000-500 BCE.
The PROCON project has gathered a substantial amount of new data on textile production for the period of urbanisation in Greece, Italy and Spain. The aim of this international symposium is to discuss the significance of the production and consumption of textiles for the development of urban centres in these areas during 1000-500 BCE (as clothing, elite regalia, trade and exchange items) within the broader perspective of other production activities. We are particularly interested to explore how productive activities during this period related to other economic aspects such as the use of farm land, labour resources, rise of the elites, as well as the development of urban lifestyle.
With this in mind, we have asked the invited participants to focus on the economies of production at specific sites or regions of Greece, Italy and Spain in order to place textile production in a wider economic context.
Registration obligatory:
http://www.mcdonald.cam.ac.uk/events/procon
Organisers: Joanne Cutler, Beatriz Marin Aguilera and Margarita Gleba
In the past few years the field of archaeological textile research has witnessed a major dynamism as demonstrated by numerous conferences and publications on the topic, as well as establishment of large-scale interdisciplinary collaborative projects. The necessary next step is to integrate this growing field of study into wider academic discourse in order to address some of the wider research questions where evidence for textiles has hitherto been virtually unexplored. The project PROCON Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in the Mediterranean Europe in 1000-500 BC (PROCON), funded by the European Research Council Starting Grant (2013-2018) and hosted by the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, UK, aims to test the hypothesis that textile production and consumption was a significant driving force of the economy and of the creation and perception of wealth in Mediterranean Europe during the period of urbanisation and early urbanism in 1000-500 BCE.
The PROCON project has gathered a substantial amount of new data on textile production for the period of urbanisation in Greece, Italy and Spain. The aim of this international symposium is to discuss the significance of the production and consumption of textiles for the development of urban centres in these areas during 1000-500 BCE (as clothing, elite regalia, trade and exchange items) within the broader perspective of other production activities. We are particularly interested to explore how productive activities during this period related to other economic aspects such as the use of farm land, labour resources, rise of the elites, as well as the development of urban lifestyle.
With this in mind, we have asked the invited participants to focus on the economies of production at specific sites or regions of Greece, Italy and Spain in order to place textile production in a wider economic context.
Registration obligatory:
http://www.mcdonald.cam.ac.uk/events/procon
Research Interests:
PURPUREAE VESTES International Symposium was first held in 2002 in Ibiza, Spain, organised by Prof. Carmen Alfaro Giner. The idea was to create a Mediterranean, Southern, counterpart to the North European Symposium for Archaeological... more
PURPUREAE VESTES International Symposium was first held in 2002 in Ibiza, Spain, organised by Prof. Carmen Alfaro Giner. The idea was to create a Mediterranean, Southern, counterpart to the North European Symposium for Archaeological Textiles, which takes place every three years since 1981. It has proven a much needed and ever-growing forum for everyone working on ancient Mediterranean textiles and dyes and has since travelled to Athens, Naples, Valencia and Montserrat. This year in Padua, the program features almost fifty papers and more than twenty posters.
The VI PURPUREAE VESTES Symposium will focus on the role of textile production and dyeing in the economic activities of the various ancient cultures of the Mediterranean area. An important impetus for this has been provided by the recent advances in textile studies and the numerous scientific projects that are using textile evidence to understand wider economic developments of ancient Mediterranean societies.
In addition to the better known sources of the Mediterranean textile production, such as the written evidence, iconography and tools, we particularly tried to prioritise archaeological evidence relating to textiles themselves, which for long has been largely neglected in many regions due to the perceived difficulty of preservation. In recent years, a significant progress has been made not only in the identification and study of archaeological textiles, but also in the methods of their investigation.
In the program we tried, whenever possible, to follow chronology (from the Bronze Age to the High Middle Ages) and geography (from East to West and from Italy to the provinces), in hopes to grasp not only possible similarities and differences, but also conservatisms and innovations in the various Mediterranean textile traditions and customs. We have also included a session focusing specifically on the region of Veneto, in order to highlight the recent researches on the ancient textile heritage of this area. The symposium venues – Padua, Este and Altino – and the city of Venice (the location of the Tessitura Bevilacqua workshop) were at some point in history important textile production centres and we hope they will provide appropriate and inspiring settings for the symposium.
The VI PURPUREAE VESTES Symposium will focus on the role of textile production and dyeing in the economic activities of the various ancient cultures of the Mediterranean area. An important impetus for this has been provided by the recent advances in textile studies and the numerous scientific projects that are using textile evidence to understand wider economic developments of ancient Mediterranean societies.
In addition to the better known sources of the Mediterranean textile production, such as the written evidence, iconography and tools, we particularly tried to prioritise archaeological evidence relating to textiles themselves, which for long has been largely neglected in many regions due to the perceived difficulty of preservation. In recent years, a significant progress has been made not only in the identification and study of archaeological textiles, but also in the methods of their investigation.
In the program we tried, whenever possible, to follow chronology (from the Bronze Age to the High Middle Ages) and geography (from East to West and from Italy to the provinces), in hopes to grasp not only possible similarities and differences, but also conservatisms and innovations in the various Mediterranean textile traditions and customs. We have also included a session focusing specifically on the region of Veneto, in order to highlight the recent researches on the ancient textile heritage of this area. The symposium venues – Padua, Este and Altino – and the city of Venice (the location of the Tessitura Bevilacqua workshop) were at some point in history important textile production centres and we hope they will provide appropriate and inspiring settings for the symposium.
Research Interests:
In the past few years the field of archaeological textile research has witnessed a major dynamism as demonstrated by numerous conferences and publications on the topic, as well as establishment of large-scale interdisciplinary... more
In the past few years the field of archaeological textile research has witnessed a major dynamism as demonstrated by numerous conferences and publications on the topic, as well as establishment of large-scale interdisciplinary collaborative programmes. The scientific methods have been or are being developed within archaeology that can be applied to gain new knowledge about ancient textiles on unprecedented scale.
Compared to Central and Northern Europe, textile research in Greece has been a rather neglected field until recently. The reason most often cited for the absence of studies on ancient textiles in Greece is their extremely poor preservation. Textiles, however, are much more common finds than generally thought and survive in original organic state but also as carbonised and mineralised traces, as well as in the form of imprints. Over the last 10 years, the research on and conservation of archaeological textiles carried out at the Hellenic Centre for Research and Conservation of Archaeological Textiles and the Directorate of Conservation of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture have significantly raised the awareness of textiles and related materials excavated in Greece. In addition, there are numerous other sources of evidence, such as textile tools, palaeobotanic and archaeozoological remains, as well as iconographic and literary sources, which permit us to gain valuable information about many and varied aspects of textile production in ancient Greece.
The interdisciplinary workshop will gather specialists in these fields in order to bring together and to discuss the various methods and approaches to textile and fibre studies in ancient Greece with a particular focus on the 1st millennium BCE. The overall aim of this session is to demonstrate the potential of archaeological textiles for the investigation of ancient Greek economy, technology and agriculture and to discuss new methods that can be applied to the investigation of ancient textiles.
Compared to Central and Northern Europe, textile research in Greece has been a rather neglected field until recently. The reason most often cited for the absence of studies on ancient textiles in Greece is their extremely poor preservation. Textiles, however, are much more common finds than generally thought and survive in original organic state but also as carbonised and mineralised traces, as well as in the form of imprints. Over the last 10 years, the research on and conservation of archaeological textiles carried out at the Hellenic Centre for Research and Conservation of Archaeological Textiles and the Directorate of Conservation of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture have significantly raised the awareness of textiles and related materials excavated in Greece. In addition, there are numerous other sources of evidence, such as textile tools, palaeobotanic and archaeozoological remains, as well as iconographic and literary sources, which permit us to gain valuable information about many and varied aspects of textile production in ancient Greece.
The interdisciplinary workshop will gather specialists in these fields in order to bring together and to discuss the various methods and approaches to textile and fibre studies in ancient Greece with a particular focus on the 1st millennium BCE. The overall aim of this session is to demonstrate the potential of archaeological textiles for the investigation of ancient Greek economy, technology and agriculture and to discuss new methods that can be applied to the investigation of ancient textiles.
Research Interests:
Following up on the momentum generated by the international workshop "The Fabric of Life: Approaches to Textile Resources, Economy and Production in Ancient Italy", which took place on 26 February 2015 and outlined methodological... more
Following up on the momentum generated by the international workshop "The Fabric of Life: Approaches to Textile Resources, Economy and Production in Ancient Italy", which took place on 26 February 2015 and outlined methodological approaches to the study of textile archaeology in Italy, and the interest that has now galvanised numerous national and international projects and collaborations in the field of Italian archaeological textile research, we are organising a two-day international conference that would focus on specific new research results. These include new discoveries, studies of previously published material using new methods, and contextualisation of Italian material within wider European framework.
La conferenza internazionale “L’archeologia del tessuto: produzione e contesti nel I millennio a.C.” riprende il filo, mai interrotto, iniziato lo scorso anno con la giornata “Il tessuto della vita: le risorse, l’economia e la produzione tessile nell’Italia antica”, in cui gli specialisti di differenti settori di ricerca si sono confrontati sui metodi e tecnologie applicate agli studi dei tessuti e delle fibre nell’Italia antica. Questa volta l’attenzione sarà rivolta ai risultati eccezionali e alle informazioni preziose che si possono ottenere applicando i più moderni metodi scientifici per lo studio dei tessuti e degli strumenti che li hanno realizzati. Questi risultati dimostrano efficacemente che il campo ha un grande potenziale nel chiarire e ricostruire molti aspetti della cultura del passato - come l'economia, la tecnologia, il commercio, la moda e la religione.
La conferenza internazionale “L’archeologia del tessuto: produzione e contesti nel I millennio a.C.” riprende il filo, mai interrotto, iniziato lo scorso anno con la giornata “Il tessuto della vita: le risorse, l’economia e la produzione tessile nell’Italia antica”, in cui gli specialisti di differenti settori di ricerca si sono confrontati sui metodi e tecnologie applicate agli studi dei tessuti e delle fibre nell’Italia antica. Questa volta l’attenzione sarà rivolta ai risultati eccezionali e alle informazioni preziose che si possono ottenere applicando i più moderni metodi scientifici per lo studio dei tessuti e degli strumenti che li hanno realizzati. Questi risultati dimostrano efficacemente che il campo ha un grande potenziale nel chiarire e ricostruire molti aspetti della cultura del passato - come l'economia, la tecnologia, il commercio, la moda e la religione.
Research Interests:
It is our pleasure to announce that the VI International Symposium Purpureae Vestes will be held on 20-22 October 2016. The Symposium will take place at the University of Padua in Padua (20 October), at the Museo Nazionale Atestino in... more
It is our pleasure to announce that the VI International Symposium Purpureae Vestes will be held on 20-22 October 2016. The Symposium will take place at the University of Padua in Padua (20 October), at the Museo Nazionale Atestino in Este (21 October) and at the Museo Nazionale Altinate in Altino (22 October).
The Symposium will focus on the role of textile production and dyeing in the economic activities of the various ancient cultures of the Mediterranean area. We particularly welcome synthetic papers using textile evidence to understand wider economic developments of ancient Mediterranean societies. As in previous symposia, however, presentations of new finds are welcome, as well.
We invite the submission of titles and abstracts (ca. 300 words in length) which are due by 31 January 2016, preferably before the deadline, if possible.
The Symposium will focus on the role of textile production and dyeing in the economic activities of the various ancient cultures of the Mediterranean area. We particularly welcome synthetic papers using textile evidence to understand wider economic developments of ancient Mediterranean societies. As in previous symposia, however, presentations of new finds are welcome, as well.
We invite the submission of titles and abstracts (ca. 300 words in length) which are due by 31 January 2016, preferably before the deadline, if possible.
Research Interests:
In the past few years the field of archaeological textile research has witnessed a major dynamism as demonstrated by numerous conferences and publications on the topic, as well as establishment of large-scale interdisciplinary... more
In the past few years the field of archaeological textile research has witnessed a major dynamism as demonstrated by numerous conferences and publications on the topic, as well as establishment of large-scale interdisciplinary collaborative programmes, such as the Centre for Textile Research funded by the Danish National Research Foundation (2005-2015) and the pan-European project Clothing and Identities - New Perspectives on Textiles in the Roman Empire (DressID) funded by the European Union Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (2007-2012). These activities demonstrate not only that the field holds great potential in elucidating many aspects of past cultures, such as economy, technology, trade, fashion and religion, but also that at the moment there is a developing energy, expertise and collaborative will to draw from. The necessary next step is to lead this growing field into answering some of the fundamental questions of archaeology, where evidence for textiles has hitherto been virtually unexplored.
Compared to Central and Northern Europe, textile research Italy has been a rather neglected field until recently. The reason most often cited for the absence of studies on ancient textiles in Italy is their extremely poor preservation. Textiles, however, are much more common finds than generally thought and survive in original organic state but also as carbonised and mineralised traces, as well as in the form of imprints. In addition, there are numerous other sources of evidence, such as textile tools, palaebotanic and archaeozoological remains, as well as iconographic and written sources, which permit us to gain valuable information about many and varied aspects of textile production in ancient Italy. The scientific methods have been or are being developed within archaeology (such as ancient DNA studies, isotopic tracing) that can be applied to gain new knowledge about ancient textiles on unprecedented scale. The interdisciplinary workshop will gather specialists in these fields in order to bring together and to discuss the various methods and approaches to textile and fibre studies in ancient Italy. The overall aim of this session is to demonstrate the potential of archaeological textiles and related sources for the investigation of ancient Italian economy, technology and agriculture and to discuss new methods that can be applied to the investigation of ancient textiles.
Compared to Central and Northern Europe, textile research Italy has been a rather neglected field until recently. The reason most often cited for the absence of studies on ancient textiles in Italy is their extremely poor preservation. Textiles, however, are much more common finds than generally thought and survive in original organic state but also as carbonised and mineralised traces, as well as in the form of imprints. In addition, there are numerous other sources of evidence, such as textile tools, palaebotanic and archaeozoological remains, as well as iconographic and written sources, which permit us to gain valuable information about many and varied aspects of textile production in ancient Italy. The scientific methods have been or are being developed within archaeology (such as ancient DNA studies, isotopic tracing) that can be applied to gain new knowledge about ancient textiles on unprecedented scale. The interdisciplinary workshop will gather specialists in these fields in order to bring together and to discuss the various methods and approaches to textile and fibre studies in ancient Italy. The overall aim of this session is to demonstrate the potential of archaeological textiles and related sources for the investigation of ancient Italian economy, technology and agriculture and to discuss new methods that can be applied to the investigation of ancient textiles.
Research Interests:
Textile production and consumption defined the development of productive and commercial activities of ancient societies. The generic term ‘textile’, however, covers a wide range of finished products, made from a variety of raw materials.... more
Textile production and consumption defined the development of productive and commercial activities of ancient societies. The generic term ‘textile’, however, covers a wide range of finished products, made from a variety of raw materials. Plants such as flax, hemp, and nettle were among the most important economic resources for making textiles and the technologies of their transformation into usable fibre were complex. The quick adoption of sheep wool as the preferred textile fibre in the Old World during the Bronze Age was largely conditioned by the fact that plant fibre acquisition and processing were time and labour consuming. Recent studies show that, in Europe, until the Late Bronze Age and possibly into the Iron Age plant fibres were transformed into yarn by splicing rather than draft spinning. Splicing involved partial or no decomposition of the outer plant materials and direct removal of fibre bundles from the plant, while draft spinning involved soaking of the plant in dew or water in order to decompose the parts of the plant surrounding the fibres, (a process called ‘retting’.) Splicing was used in ancient Egypt throughout its history but was only recently identified in European textiles. Retting and draft spinning technology would have allowed faster processing of larger quantities of plant materials and creation of a more homogenous yarn, and consequently textiles. The lecture will explain ancient fibre technology and explore the possible reasons for the late switch from splicing to drafting of plant fibres and how it may have influenced the social and economic development of the Mediterranean societies in the first millennium BCE.
Research Interests:
Nel corso dell’antichità la produzione tessile era praticata ad ogni livello sociale e costituiva una delle attività più laboriose ed intensive. Di grande importanza culturale e sociale, essa viene annoverata tra i parametri di... more
Nel corso dell’antichità la produzione tessile era praticata ad ogni livello sociale e costituiva una delle attività più laboriose ed intensive. Di grande importanza culturale e sociale, essa viene annoverata tra i parametri di valutazione del sistema economico antico. Nel corso degli ultimi vent’anni gli studi sui tessuti hanno sviluppato una nuova importante ramificazione in campo archeologico dimostrando quanto si possa apprendere sulla cultura, società, tecnologia ed economia del mondo antico proprio attraverso lo studio dei reperti tessili recuperati dai contesti archeologici.
La scoperta e l’analisi di alcuni frammenti di tessuti e di ornamenti metallici, associati ad abiti principeschi provenienti dalla Tomba delle Mani d’argento nella necropoli dell’Osteria di Vulci, permettono di arricchire i dati a disposizione, fornendo l’occasione per nuovi spunti di riflessione sull’archeologia dei tessuti nell’antichità. Sono stati rinvenuti infatti “bottoncini” in foglia d’oro, probabili elementi decorativi di abiti, con tracce del filo nell’occhiello e due fibule in ferro che conservano resti di tessuto.
Al termine della conferenza verrà dato spazio ad un aspetto di archeologia sperimentale con la dimostrazione dell’utilizzo di telai, fusi e conocchie; verranno realizzati tessuti che riproducono motivi ornamentali noti da contesti archeologici e da iconografie antiche.
Il quadro archeologico-culturale offerto da Margarita Gleba, attraverso momenti affidati alla riflessione sui metodi e risultati delle analisi, nonché alla sperimentazione delle tecniche, consentirà di percorrere “sul filo del passato” la storia dei tessuti nell’Italia preromana.
La scoperta e l’analisi di alcuni frammenti di tessuti e di ornamenti metallici, associati ad abiti principeschi provenienti dalla Tomba delle Mani d’argento nella necropoli dell’Osteria di Vulci, permettono di arricchire i dati a disposizione, fornendo l’occasione per nuovi spunti di riflessione sull’archeologia dei tessuti nell’antichità. Sono stati rinvenuti infatti “bottoncini” in foglia d’oro, probabili elementi decorativi di abiti, con tracce del filo nell’occhiello e due fibule in ferro che conservano resti di tessuto.
Al termine della conferenza verrà dato spazio ad un aspetto di archeologia sperimentale con la dimostrazione dell’utilizzo di telai, fusi e conocchie; verranno realizzati tessuti che riproducono motivi ornamentali noti da contesti archeologici e da iconografie antiche.
Il quadro archeologico-culturale offerto da Margarita Gleba, attraverso momenti affidati alla riflessione sui metodi e risultati delle analisi, nonché alla sperimentazione delle tecniche, consentirà di percorrere “sul filo del passato” la storia dei tessuti nell’Italia preromana.
Research Interests:
The beginning of the Iron Age (12th to late 10th cent. BCE) ushered in a crucial period for the history of the ancient Mediterranean, which manifested in a series of transformative changes, among which was the beginnings of urbanism in... more
The beginning of the Iron Age (12th to late 10th cent. BCE) ushered in a crucial period for the history of the ancient Mediterranean, which manifested in a series of transformative changes, among which was the beginnings of urbanism in the first half of the first millennium BCE (roughly the Iron Age). The development of urban states, spanning from the Aegean to Iberia and from northern Africa to the Alps, generated in turn complex economic system and exchange networks. Aspects of urban state formation are fundamental for archaeologists, historians, as well as sociologists and economists globally. In archaeology, since Gordon Childe questions have focused on theoretical and methodological perspectives for understanding what cities were and did cross-culturally, and their trajectories. Yet, despite the enormous potential of natural sciences for understanding the deep past, socio-political connected to urban growth and its large-scale networks have been little explored in relation to advancements in archaeological science. With this in mind, the session aims to bring together a broad range of expertise from archaeological science to theoretical perspectives in order to develop interdisciplinary conceptual and methodological approaches to the study of urbanism and its wider implications beyond current narratives. Key themes will be craft specialization, connectivity, mobility, diet, and landscape change in relation to urbanisation. We welcome studies that make use of materials sciences, remote sensing, bioarchaeology, genetics to explore urbanisation in the Mediterranean.