Exploring Ancient Textiles: Pushing the Boundaries of Established Methodologies

Archaeological textiles have become an important field of scientific study due to interdisciplinary approaches that combine advanced technological knowledge with ethnographic, textual, and experimental investigations. This book highlights how researchers have adapted traditional and more recently developed analytical methods to extract comparable data from recalcitrant assemblages and applied new perspectives and approaches to extend the focus on less investigated aspects and artifacts. The chapters cover a broad geographical and chronological area, ranging from South America and Europe to Africa, and from the 11th millennium BC to the 1st millennium AD, and explore methodological considerations through three different themes: tools, textiles, and fibers, and culture and identity.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 05 June 2022
Publisher: Oxbow Books

Archaeological textiles have emerged as a significant field of scientific inquiry over the past three decades, benefiting greatly from interdisciplinary approaches that combine advanced technological knowledge with ethnographic, textual, and experimental investigations. By sharing their diverse types and quality of data, archaeologists have contributed to the development of well-established methodologies in exploring textiles and textile processing in ancient societies.

In this book, the papers showcase how researchers have been compelled to adapt or modify traditional and more recent analytical methods to extract comparable data from often recalcitrant assemblages. Furthermore, they have applied new perspectives and approaches to expand the focus on less investigated aspects and artifacts.

The chapters cover a broad geographical and chronological range, spanning from South America and Europe to Africa, and from the 11th millennium BC to the 1st millennium AD. Methodological considerations are explored through the lens of three distinct themes: tools, textiles, and fibers, as well as culture and identity. This volume serves as a reflection on the current state of methodology and its applicability within the broader textile field. Moreover, it fosters methodological debates to generate new and thought-provoking conversations about the future of textile archaeology.

Weight: 718g
Dimension: 215 x 280 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789257250