Journal articles on the topic 'Archaeological textile studies'
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Spantidaki, Stella, and Christina Margariti. "Archaeological textiles excavated in Greece." Archaeological Reports 63 (November 2017): 49–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0570608418000054.
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This paper offers an account of the archaeological textiles excavated in Greece, consideration of the challenges one has to deal with when studying such materials and a discussion of ways to overcome them. A complete list of archaeological textiles excavated in Greece is not within the scope of this paper, since such comprehensive studies have been published previously (Spantidaki and Moulhérat 2012; Moulhérat and Spantidaki 2016) and, of course, the corpus of such textiles is continuously expanding.The study of textiles is an emerging and fast-growing field of Greek archaeology (Gleba 2011). The number of archaeologists and conservators working with and studying archaeological textiles is steadily increasing, thus raising the general awareness of textiles and expanding the corpus of known ancient fabrics. In recent years, several research projects have investigated ancient Greek textiles, such as those conducted by the Centre for Textile Research at the University of Copenhagen (for example Textile Economies in the Mediterranean Area), several funded by Marie Skłodowska Curie Action grants and some by European Research Council grants (for example Production and Consumption: Textile Economy and Urbanisation in Mediterranean Europe 1000–500 BCE hosted by Cambridge University).
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Enegren, Hedvig Landenius. "Loom weights in Archaic South Italy and Sicily: Fice case studies." Opuscula. Annual of the Swedish Institutes at Athens and Rome 8 (November 2015): 123–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.30549/opathrom-08-06.
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Textiles are perishables in the archaeological record unless specific environmental conditions are met. Fortunately, the textile tools used in their manufacture can provide a wealth of information and via experimental archaeology make visible to an extent what has been lost. The article presents and discusses the results obtained in a research project focused on textile tool technologies and identities in the context of settler and indigenous peoples, at select archaeological sites in South Italy and Sicily in the Archaic and Early Classical periods, with an emphasis on loom weights. Despite a common functional tool technology, the examined loom weights reveal an intriguing inter-site specificity, which, it is argued, is the result of hybrid expressions embedded in local traditions. Experimental archaeology testing is applied in the interpretation of the functional qualities of this common artefact.
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McCafferty, Geoffrey G., and William R. Fowler. "INTRODUCTION." Ancient Mesoamerica 19, no. 1 (2008): 83–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s095653610800031x.
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If we accept Good's (2001:211) definition of a textile as a “web of interlaced threads produced on a loom,” we may say that textiles have a long and storied existence in ancient Mesoamerica. In this Special Section we present four new studies on Mesoamerican textile production. All four papers are based primarily on archaeological data and analyses, but, because of the nature of the material, they cross disciplinary boundaries. At the risk of indulging in a rather hackneyed metaphor, we might envision the archaeological elements of each study as the warp embellished with a weft of ethnohistoric, ethnographic, art historical, iconographic, and epigraphic data and interpretations. In this Introduction we range across the boundaries touching first on the archaeological evidence for the antiquity of weaving and textiles in Mesoamerica, the nature of textiles as a commodity, and the theoretical foundations from political economy that influenced anthropology in the 1980s and generated a seminal article on cotton in the Aztec economy. Then we reference recent research dealing with cloth as costume that signifies ethnic and gender identity, and ideological associations with female deities. Finally, we return to the archaeology and the difficulties of preservation of textiles in Mesoamerica, setting the stage for comments on individual papers since they depend on the indirect evidence of spindle whorls and weaving implements.
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Halperin, Christina T. "CLASSIC MAYA TEXTILE PRODUCTION: INSIGHTS FROM MOTUL DE SAN JOSÉ, PETEN, GUATEMALA." Ancient Mesoamerica 19, no. 1 (2008): 111–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0956536108000230.
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AbstractTextiles in ancient Mesoamerica served as a critical economic resource and symbolic display of status, wealth, and social affiliation. The economic significance of textiles can be explored, in part, by the archaeological identification and distribution of production tools: spinning and weaving implements. In the Maya area, however, few studies have examined the organization of textile production, and systematic documentation of tool distributions is lacking. This paper reviews previous archaeological research on Maya textile production and introduces new data from the Classic-period site of Motul de San José, Guatemala. These data complement current understandings of Classic Maya household economies by stressing the relative economic autonomy of households from the state in textile production and the heterogeneity of productive strategies within and between different households. Such heterogeneity is expressed, at least in the case of Motul de San José, by more intensive or larger-scale production conducted by large, elite households than by small, commoner households. This finding implies that textile production for tribute was not a central concern among lower-status groups in this area as it was among many Postclassic- and Contact-period commoners in Mesoamerica. Rather, Classic-period Maya royal and elite individuals were able to bolster further their economic and social standings through textile production because they had easier access to resources or surplus labor found in or associated with their own households.
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Strand, Eva Andersson, Karin Margarita Frei, Margarita Gleba, Ulla Mannering, Marie-Louise Nosch, and Irene Skals. "Old Textiles – New Possibilities." European Journal of Archaeology 13, no. 2 (2010): 149–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1461957110365513.
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Textile research has become an important field of archaeology. Although the established analytical methods are often viewed as specialized, their integration with other interdisciplinary approaches allows us to deal with broader archaeological issues and provides the interpretational base for a much more comprehensive investigation of textiles in ancient times. Analyses of fibres, dyes, archaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains, as well as palaeoenvironmental and geochemical investigations, provide information about available resources, while tool studies, experimental testing, and visual grouping are approaches that explore the technology and techniques. Together, these approaches can provide new knowledge about textile production and consumption and, thereby, about people and society in ancient times.
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Březinová, Helena, and David Kohout. "Assemblage of Wool and Silk Textiles from Medieval Waste Layers in Prague, Czech Republic." Fibres and Textiles in Eastern Europe 25 (December 31, 2017): 119–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0010.5382.
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The article summarises information on a large assemblage of medieval wool and silk textiles found during an archaeological excavation of waste layers from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in the centre of Prague. The work primarily presents wool cloths (fulled fabrics) and fabrics (without fulling) in plain and twill weave, which make up the vast majority of the more than 1,500 fragments. The silk textiles presented are interesting evidence of the presence of expensive imported goods in the Bohemian environment. The results, based mainly on textile technology studies of the fabrics, are also supplemented with information acquired during analyses of their current and original colour, including an identification of dyeing sources.
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Janaway, R. C., and R. A. E. Coningham. "A Review of Archaeological Textile Evidence from South Asia." South Asian Studies 11, no. 1 (January 1995): 157–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02666030.1995.9628502.
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Okuyama, Masayoshi, Masanori Sato, and Masanori Akada. "Studies on The Excavated Archaeological Textile Fibers Using Room Temperature Ionic Liquid." FIBER 67, no. 2 (2011): 47–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.2115/fiber.67.47.
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Słomska, Joanna, and Łukasz Antosik. "The Hallstatt Textiles from the Bi-ritual Cemetery in Świbie." Światowit 56, no. 1 (January 14, 2019): 129–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0012.8481.
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Textile production during the Hallstatt period was an integral part of everyday life of societies living in Poland. However, discoveries of fabrics are very rare. Textile remains from this period survived primarily in the skeletal bi-ritual graves in the Silesia voivodship. Among preserved fragments of organic finds, remains of clothes and elements of accessories can be distinguished. The best-preserved and well-studied textile remains come from the cemetery in Świbie, Gliwice district. The locality was accidentally discovered in 1930s, but regular excavations started there thirty years later. As a result of the archaeological works, 576 cremation urns and skeletal graves were explored providing a rich set of materials. Grave goods were local products, as well as imports from Southern and Western Europe. Sixty three graves contained remains of textiles. The majority of the surviving fabrics adhered to metal outfits. In addition, research encountered woven tape remains, braided ribbons, threads, and strings. The material acquired from the cemetery in Świbie is the largest textile collection from the Hallstatt period discovered in Poland. It waited in a museum warehouse until the year 2015 when the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Łódź initiated further studies. Despite the fact that most fragments were small and mineralised, all the undertaken analyses led to a better understanding of textile production in the Hallstatt period in Poland with its innovative and traditional elements.
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Viljanen, Mira, Jenni A. Suomela, and Kirsi Svedström. "Wide-angle X-ray scattering studies on contemporary and ancient bast fibres used in textiles – ultrastructural studies on stinging nettle." Cellulose 29, no. 4 (January 24, 2022): 2645–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10570-021-04400-w.
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AbstractStinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is a potential source material for industrial applications. However, systematic research on the ultrastructural properties of nettle fibres is lacking. Determining the ultrastructure of nettle and the other bast fibres also provides new insights into the studies of archaeological fibres and their usage. In this study, the nanostructure of modern and ancient nettle samples was studied using wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and compared to other bast fibres. The culturo-historical fibre samples consisted of nettle, flax, and hemp from White Karelian textiles collected 1894 as well as of 800–900-year-old archaeological textile fragments from Ravattula Ristimäki burial site, Finland. Using WAXS, the average cellulose crystallite widths, relative crystallinities and orientational order (including microfibril angle for the modern fibres) were determined and compared. The results also revealed the suitability of the WAXS analysis for fibre identification. The crystallite widths were of the similar size for all modern fibres (3.4–4.8 nm). Subtle differences in the relative crystallinities in descending order (from flax to nettle, and finally hemp) were observed. Also, subtle differences in the mean MFAs were observed (10 ± 1° for flax, 12 ± 1° for nettle, and 14 ± 1° for hemp). For the culturo-historical fibres, the values for crystallite widths and relative crystallinities were larger compared to the corresponding modern references. In addition, features due to the presence of non-cellulosic, crystalline substances (e.g., calcium oxalates) were detected in the WAXS patterns of all the modern nettle fibres. These features could potentially be used as a tool for identification purposes. Graphical abstract
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Gutarowska, Beata, Katarzyna Pietrzak, Waldemar Machnowski, and Jakub M. Milczarek. "Historical textiles – a review of microbial deterioration analysis and disinfection methods." Textile Research Journal 87, no. 19 (September 30, 2016): 2388–406. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0040517516669076.
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All historical textile materials, due to their chemical composition (cellulose, protein), under conditions of high humidity are potentially exposed to microbial degradation. Numerous examples of microbial deterioration of archaeological textile materials demonstrate the need for the use of modern analytical methods for examination of diversity of organisms inhabiting them, as well as an analysis of their behavior. It is recommended that objects with a high degree of microbiological contamination are disinfected before being incorporated to a collection. Today, due to the progress in research on the effects of disinfection on historical material, risks to health and the environment, new methods of disinfection are still being developed. The presented literature review describes the testing methods of microbial deterioration of historical textile materials, including the latest methods for assessing biodiversity (called Next Generation Sequencing) and properties of historical textiles (chemical, microscopic, mechanical). It is particularly suitable for conservators and scientists who are interested in biodeterioration, disinfection technology, and maintenance problems of this type. Characteristics of test methods and disinfection include their application to historical objects, description, advantages, and disadvantages, as well as directions for future studies that aim to even better protect cultural heritage using the latest scientific and technical innovations.
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Karapanagiotis, Ioannis. "A Review on the Archaeological Chemistry of Shellfish Purple." Sustainability 11, no. 13 (June 29, 2019): 3595. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su11133595.
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Shellfish purple, also known as Tyrian purple and royal purple, has a long history, which has been revealed and documented in recent years through valid physicochemical studies using sophisticated techniques. The aim of the work was to summarize the conclusions of these studies and to describe the results of two unpublished investigations regarding the (i) identification of shellfish purple in a textile (4th century BCE) from ancient Macedonia and (ii) dramatic effect of the dyeing conditions on the composition of the purple dye. Moreover, a critical discussion is included about the discovery of the shellfish pigment and dye based on the available scientific evidence. Previously published reports describing the identification of the shellfish colorant in objects of the cultural heritage were carefully summarized. Shellfish purple was not used only as colorant, but it served other purposes as emphasized in this review. In particular, examples for the use of shellfish purple in medicine, grave goods and fillers and plasters in walls, were described. Examples of materials and methods that were used in the past to produce “fake” purple, imitating the aesthetic result of the valuable royal marine material were summarized. Finally, the solubility of indigoids was discussed using modern approaches of physical chemistry.
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Navarrete, Carlos. "El sitio arqueológico de La Chincúa y la ofrenda del Plan de la Mesita, Chiapas." Estudios de Cultura Maya 57 (January 27, 2021): 11–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.19130/iifl.ecm.57.2021.18651.
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The archaeological group La Chincúa-Plan de la Mesita is part of a complex of sites grouped around Cerro Bernal, a hill that dominates the narrowest intermountain section of the coastal route from Chiapas toward Guatemala across the Soconusco. La Chincúa’s settlement begins during the Late Preclassic, incorporates Teotihuacan influence during the Classic, and continues on as a religious and habitation center during the Postclassic. It is during this last period that La Chincúa’s neighboring site, Plan de la Mesita, becomes an elite burial ground; the textile manufacturing objects offering here analyzed comes from this context.
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Okuyama, Masayoshi, Masanori Sato, and Masanori Akada. "Basic Studies on the Identification of Excavated Archaeological Textile Fibers Using Polarized FT-IR Micro-Spectroscopy [II]." Sen'i Gakkaishi 70, no. 1 (2014): 14–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.2115/fiber.70.14.
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Shannon, Laura. "Language of the Goddess in Balkan Women’s Circle Dance." Feminist Theology 28, no. 1 (August 6, 2019): 66–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0966735019859470.
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The author narrates her journey to women’s circle dances of the Balkans, and explores how they incorporate prehistoric signs which Marija Gimbutas called ‘the language of the Goddess’. These symbolic images appear in archaeological artefacts, textile motifs, song words, and dance patterns, and have been passed down for thousands of years in nonverbal ways. The interdisciplinary approach of archaeomythology suggests that the images may carry ideas and values from the Neolithic cultures in which these dances are said to have their roots. Women’s ritual dances affirm the Old European values which honoured the Goddess, the mother principle, and the cycles of life, and offer an extraordinary oasis of women’s empowerment, even within patriarchal culture, indicating that the dances most likely originate in pre-patriarchal egalitarian matriarchy. For women today, even outside the Balkans, these women’s ritual dances offer insight and meaning through an embodied experience of the values of the Goddess.
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Tsareva, Elena. "Central Asian Ikats in Written Islamic Sources of the 10th—12th Centuries (in the Framework of Study of Textile Collections of the MAE RAS)." Manuscripta Orientalia. International Journal for Oriental Manuscript Research 26, no. 2 (December 2020): 81–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.31250/1238-5018-2020-26-2-81-84.
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Known today under a general literary name of ikat, Western Central Asian textiles of the category represent a specific branch of the craft. One of its largest and the richest collections belongs to the MAE RAS. Traced as commodity of Moscow — Bukhara commerce since the 16th century, and a point of collecting and ethnographic and art history studies since mid‑19th century, the type still needs historical and terminological investigation. Suggested article considers three hardly explored in this direction sources. One — Central Asian ikats in written Islamic sources — is based on R. B. Serjeant work Islamic Textiles. Materials for a History up to the Mongol Conquest. According to R. B. Serjeant the earliest mentioning of Herat and Merv ‘asb “striped stuffs” corresponds to the time of ‘Abd al‑Malik (r. 65—86 / 685—705). Matching by date is the close to the Ferghana Valley ikat finding from the supposedly Soghdian Dulan archaeological site (Qinghai province, Tibet). The third, terminological issue of the article traces penetration of Persian / Tajik ikat terms into the Russian textile vocabulary: the earliest fixed case refers to 1551—1605, assuming still earlier time of adaptation of the term. No matter how few, suggested data adds important information on the history of the Western Central Asian ikat tradition.
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Ortman, Scott G. "Conceptual Metaphor in the Archaeological Record: Methods and an Example from the American Southwest." American Antiquity 65, no. 4 (October 2000): 613–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2694419.
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This paper attempts to unify recent theorizing on cultural meaning in material culture using the notion of conceptual metaphor. Research in several disciplines suggests that conventional metaphorical concepts are central to cultural cognition. Ethnographic studies and psychological experiments indicate that conceptual metaphors are expressed in numerous forms of human expression, including speech, ritual, narrative, and material culture. Generalizations on the nature and structure of metaphor emerging from cognitive linguistic research can be used to develop methods for reconstructing ancient metaphors from archaeological evidence. In a preliminary application, I argue that pottery designs from the Mesa Verde region of the American Southwest were conceptualized as textile fabrics, and suggest that connections between these media derived from a worldview grounded in container imagery. The ability to decipher conceptual metaphors in prehistoric material culture opens up many new avenues for research, including the role of worldview in cultural evolution, and the discovery of cultural continuities between archaeological cultures and historic ethnolinguistic groups.
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Price, Neil. "Performing the Vikings." Religionsvidenskabeligt Tidsskrift 74 (March 25, 2022): 63–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.7146/rt.v74i.132101.
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ABSTRACT: With a starting point in Jens Peter Schjødt’s studies of Ibn Faḍlān, this article explores the performative dimensions of late Iron Age ritual practice, as mediated especially through mortuary behaviour and ceremony. The interplay of textual and archaeological perspectives is in focus here, including a critical contribution to the interdisciplinary discussion on what has been termed the ‘performance turn’ in Viking studies. In several short case studies, notably the new work on the textile fragments from the Oseberg ship burial, the positive potential of this line of research is asserted as a source of considerable insight into Viking-Age world-views.
RESUME: Med udgangspunkt i Jens Peter Schjødts studier af Ibn Faḍlān, undersøger denne artikel de performative aspekter af den ældre jernalders rituelle praksis som den kommer til udtryk i begravelsesadfærd og -ceremoni. Samspillet mellem skriftlige og arkæologiske perspektiver er i fokus i denne artikel, inklusiv et kritisk bidrag til den interdisciplinære diskussion omkring det, der er blevet kaldt ’the performance turn’ i studier af vikingetiden. Gennem flere korte casestudier, især nyt arbejde omkring tekstilfragmenterne fra Oseberg-skibsbegravelsen, fastslås det positive potentiale i denne form for forskning som en kilde til betragtelig indsigt i vikingetidens verdenssyn.
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Yarmolovich, Victoria. "Loom weights from archaeological excavations in Memphis: some considerations on dating of vertical loom in Egypt." Vostok. Afro-aziatskie obshchestva: istoriia i sovremennost, no. 4 (2022): 55. http://dx.doi.org/10.31857/s086919080020619-7.
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The paper is devoted to investigation of clay and stone loom weights that were found during the archaeological excavations of the Centre of Egyptological Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences at Memphis (Egypt). The loom weights are divided on six groups: ring-shaped, doughnut-shaped, semicircular, pyramidal, tear-shaped, and trapezoidal. They are made in different ways. Groups of ring-shaped, doughnut-shaped, and semicircular loom weights are made of unfired and fired at a low temperature Nile silt clay. The quality fabric was used for production of pyramidal and tear-shaped loom weights. The loom weights from Memphis are dated to the Late period (526–332 BCE). Parallels of these objects are found at different sites in Egypt and neighbouring countries. Basically, loom weights were used for a warp-weighted loom so they could mark the beginning of its usage in Egypt. It is generally accepted that this loom emerged in Egypt during the Ptolemaic period (332–30 BCE). This period is characterised by strong Greek influence on Egyptian culture. However, scholars still do not have definitive evidence that a warp-weighted loom appeared during the Late period. Some scholars doubt all weights in Egypt were used for textile production. These weights could be used as plumbs, net weights, or, presumably, for other types of looms. Multifunctionality of weights complicates study of textile production in Egypt during the Late period. However, the weights from Memphis and their parallels from other sites allow us to raise the question of the earlier appearance of a warp-weighted loom in Egypt.
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Okuyama, Masayoshi, Masanori Sato, and Masanori Akada. "Basic Studies on the Identification of Excavated Archaeological Textile Fibers Using Polarized FT-IR Micro-spectroscopy - The Identification of Bast Fibers -." Sen'i Gakkaishi 68, no. 3 (2012): 59–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.2115/fiber.68.59.
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Polosmak, N. V. "CLOTHES FROM THE XIONGNU WARDROBE (Based on Finds from the Noin-Ula Burial Mounds)." Archaeology and Early History of Ukraine 36, no. 3 (June 10, 2020): 431–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.37445/adiu.2020.03.31.
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Clothing has always served as a major ethnic marker by uniting people of the same community. Written and archaeological sources tell us a lot about the Xiongnu culture, but the appearance of these formidable rulers of the steppe remains a mystery, and we are still on our way to deciphering it.
Archaeological finds for reconstructing the Xiongnu costume come from the Noin-Ula burial mounds (Mongolia), the only site attributed to this people where objects from organic materials have survived. Many items of clothing were discovered as early as in the 1920s by Pyotr Kozlov’s expedition. New data were obtained from three large Noin-Ula mounds as a result of studies organized and directed by the author of this article at the beginning of this century.
The main conclusions that we have arrived at today are as follows:
The costume worn by the Xiongnu nobility was eclectic and consisted of items of different origin. Those were mainly robes made of expensive silk, which were manufactured at Chinese (Han) workshops and presented by the emperor as gifts to the chanyu, who then passed them, as was the custom, to his confidants.
Clothes for people of high rank were sewn from an imported woolen textile of the topmost quality. The clothes from this textile — caftans, trousers, leggings-were created directly in the Steppe, possibly by craftswomen at the chanyu’s base camp.
We do not know the design of the woolen caftans, but the small fragments that were found in Noin-Ula mounds 20 and 22 give us a clue of how bright and decorative they were: these caftans must have been completely covered with embroidery and trimmed with sable fur. A variety of silk textiles were also used in creating these clothing items. It is known that the Xiongnu received from the imperial court as gifts (disguised tribute) plenty of silks from the best workshops of China. These unique textiles were then passed to local craftswomen, who skillfully combined them with woolen textiles and fur. They created truly magnificent garments, as is evident from the surviving fragments of a caftan from Noin-Ula mound 20. In our opinion, it was these caftans that represented the costume of the Xiongnu nobility; i. e., the eclecticism of this costume manifested itself not only in a combination of items of different origin and culture but also in the fact that the clothing items that were created directly in the Steppe were made not only from local materials-felts, coarse textiles, birch bark — but also from imported woolen and silk textiles and embroideries. A good example of these clothes is the leggings from Noin-Ula mound 22. They were sewn by a local craftswoman from a magnificent woolen textile produced in the Mediterranean workshops and embroidered with silk by a Chinese craftswoman, of whom there were many at the chanyu’s base camp. Felt shoes sewn to the leggings were covered with Chinese silk, and their soles were carved from birch bark. This one item brings together three civilizations: Mediterranean, China, and Eurasian Steppe.
Even if we possessed actual clothing items from the burials, we would not be able to confidently reconstruct the Xiongnu costume because we could not be sure that the available items represented the entire wardrobe. Furthermore, we would not know exactly how these clothes were worn. The experience of studying the undisturbed Pazyryk mounds showed that only in those cases where we see all the details of clothes directly on human body, we get a correct idea of how related to one another and how they were worn.
The recent finds from the Noin-Ula mounds added a lot of new details to the description of the costume of the Xiongnu nobility. However, the costume itself, by which we mean not only a set of clothes from the headdress to the shoes but also the color scheme, hairstyle, jewelry, cosmetics, accessories, and manner of wearing, still cannot be reconstructed in its entirety. As of now, we can describe in detail only individual components of this costume. However, I believe that over time we will «assemble» the entire wardrobe and reconstruct the appearance of the splendid riders of the Mongolian steppes.
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Kulesz, Aleksandra, and Jakub Michalik. "Modern Shoe Buckles from Archaeological Research in Gniew and Piaseczno (Pomerania Province, Poland)." Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Archaeologica, no. 35 (December 30, 2020): 151–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.18778/0208-6034.35.10.
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During archaeological research carried out from 2009 to 2016 in the Church of St. Nicholas in Gniew, a set of three metal buckles was found. Then, in 2017, excavations were conducted in crypts of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Piaseczno, in the Gniew District. Two other pairs of buckles were uncovered at this site. All the buckles found differ considerably. Thanks to this, one can get an impression that apart from holding the shoe on the foot, they also served decorative purposes. One can distinguish two main types of buckles: those made of iron and those made of a copper alloy. The latter, considering ornaments, could be more valuable than their iron counterparts. Regardless of the alloy used, manufacturing techniques differed, some of which were those used in the case of buckles from Gniew and Piaseczno: wire forging, cutting out of thick metal sheet, and folding thin metal sheet.
On account of their jewellery-like character, this small collection of buckles discussed could be bequeathed, while most grave shoes were only fastened with tailor’s pins or put on the feet of the dead without fastening. This practice particularly concerned shoes with textile uppers, which mostly meant women’s shoes. It may suggest that the items in question were rather owned by men. The buckles described could be thus elements of the everyday attire.
Issues connected with a formal and typological interpretation of the buckles found indicate interpretive problems faced by archaeologists dealing with these aspects of costume studies. Modern shoes, due to the scarcity of artefacts in archaeological collections, remain mysterious and puzzling objects.
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SANDULACHE, IRINA-MARIANA, ELENA-CORNELIA MITRAN, LUCIA-OANA SECAREANU, OVIDIU-GEORGE IORDACHE, ELENA PERDUM, IULIA TEODORESCU, and ANDREA BERNATH. "Preliminary investigations of a textile fabric used as supportfor a sarcophagus from Astra Sibiu Museum." Industria Textila 71, no. 01 (February 27, 2020): 91–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.35530/it.071.01.1622.
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Historical textiles are fragile and more prone to damage. Regarding this inconvenience, heritage sample analyzes arequite difficult to achieve primarily due to fiber degradation, secondly due to the complex composition (the samples canalso contain metallic threads or some other components) and last, but not least, because of the microbiologicaldegradation. The samples evaluated in this paper were used as support for a wooden sarcophagus containing anEgyptian mummy which is estimated to be over 2000 years old.The purpose of this work was to carry out a preliminary characterization of the samples, using minimally invasivetechniques. Thus, two types of methods were used: SEM evaluation and microbiological assessment. SEM analysisrevealed that the constituent fibers for all the samples are natural fibers of animal origin: wool and alpaca fibers. SEMalso provided information about the surface of the fibers and more than that, by using this equipment it was possible tovisualize the degree of degradation most likely caused by the attack of insects and different types of fungi and bacteria.Bioburden isolation from the archaeological samples highlighted that the highest bioburden load was registered bysample B, followed by sample C and sample A. After the screening it was concluded that all samples present bothfilamentous fungi specific structures and bacteria specific structures. The future studies will be directed towardsobtaining more information by micro- or non-destructive methods
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Ratas, Jaana. "Villaste rõivaste õmblusvõtted keskaegsete arheoloogiliste leidude näitel / Stitches and seams of woollen garments based on medieval archaeological findings." Studia Vernacula 13 (November 18, 2021): 98–127. http://dx.doi.org/10.12697/sv.2021.13.98-127.
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Sewing by hand is certainly something that deserves researching, conserving and practising. This traditional craft might be used to make copies of items in museums or it might be used to produce modern clothing. One source of inspiration are the seams we find on archaic textile fragments. This article deals with sewing skills and techniques that are detectable on textiles recovered from urban waste from Estonian towns dating back to the 13th–16th centuries. Our article focuses on textile fragments from Tallinn chiefly, but we also look at a small assortment of finds from Tartu and Pärnu. Our main concern is with the sewing skills and the techniques used to make woollen clothes.
Medieval sewing skills and techniques cannot really be described using contemporary terminology or manuals: any finds are only fragmentary, and establishing a link with an object is complicated because old techniques differ considerably from contemporary practice. Fragments do have their advantages, however. For example, seams can be studied more easily. The lack of adequate terminology in our contemporary language arises from the fact that many medieval techniques have been forgotten.
The main research methods we used were visual observation with the help of magnifying tools and detailed documentation. Stitches and seams leave traces, which means we are able identify them. A thread that has rotted away leaves a row of holes behind it, and the existence of seams is revealed by imprints and by an unworn surface. Furthermore, different stitches shape the joints in a different way.
The article is based on 174 woollen textile fragments with a total of 321 seams. Eight different types of stitches were identified on those fragments: running stitch, partial and full backstitch, hemming and overcast stitch, and buttonhole stitch. Running stitch occurs the most often, in fully one third of the cases.
Seams can be divided into construction seams, hems and finishes, and seams for special details. Plain seam, seam with folded seam allowances, reinforced seam, lapped seam, whip stitch joins, buttonholes and buttons are studied here. English captions are provided for the illustrations of the article.
Most of the textile fragments originate from recycling, in the course of which the seams were cut out and thrown away. Sewing waste provides information about consumption habits, and sometimes objects can be identified. Certain seams relate to certain items, e.g. the lapped seam discovered in 14 cases definitely relates to the remnants of stockings.
The standardisation of techniques was noticeable. The length of seams and the width of seam allowances seems to be similar throughout the period under study: the running stitch is approximately 2–3 mm, the partial backstitch up to 7mm, and other stitches (zigzag) 2–3 mm long. The techniques identified with the help of medieval finds from Estonian cities are similar to those found in other European cities. We cannot tell from the fragments whether they have been made at home or by professional tailors.
Sewing by hand should be promoted and used in the production not only of copies of artefacts, but also of contemporary items too. This would encourage us to value handicraft and good materials and to make items that have an emotional value.
Keywords: stitches, seams, archaeology, medieval, textiles, sewing
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Ratas, Jaana. "Villaste rõivaste õmblusvõtted keskaegsete arheoloogiliste leidude näitel / Stitches and seams of woollen garments based on medieval archaeological findings." Studia Vernacula 13 (November 18, 2021): 98–127. http://dx.doi.org/10.12697/sv.2021.13.98-127.
Full textAbstract:
Sewing by hand is certainly something that deserves researching, conserving and practising. This traditional craft might be used to make copies of items in museums or it might be used to produce modern clothing. One source of inspiration are the seams we find on archaic textile fragments. This article deals with sewing skills and techniques that are detectable on textiles recovered from urban waste from Estonian towns dating back to the 13th–16th centuries. Our article focuses on textile fragments from Tallinn chiefly, but we also look at a small assortment of finds from Tartu and Pärnu. Our main concern is with the sewing skills and the techniques used to make woollen clothes.
Medieval sewing skills and techniques cannot really be described using contemporary terminology or manuals: any finds are only fragmentary, and establishing a link with an object is complicated because old techniques differ considerably from contemporary practice. Fragments do have their advantages, however. For example, seams can be studied more easily. The lack of adequate terminology in our contemporary language arises from the fact that many medieval techniques have been forgotten.
The main research methods we used were visual observation with the help of magnifying tools and detailed documentation. Stitches and seams leave traces, which means we are able identify them. A thread that has rotted away leaves a row of holes behind it, and the existence of seams is revealed by imprints and by an unworn surface. Furthermore, different stitches shape the joints in a different way.
The article is based on 174 woollen textile fragments with a total of 321 seams. Eight different types of stitches were identified on those fragments: running stitch, partial and full backstitch, hemming and overcast stitch, and buttonhole stitch. Running stitch occurs the most often, in fully one third of the cases.
Seams can be divided into construction seams, hems and finishes, and seams for special details. Plain seam, seam with folded seam allowances, reinforced seam, lapped seam, whip stitch joins, buttonholes and buttons are studied here. English captions are provided for the illustrations of the article.
Most of the textile fragments originate from recycling, in the course of which the seams were cut out and thrown away. Sewing waste provides information about consumption habits, and sometimes objects can be identified. Certain seams relate to certain items, e.g. the lapped seam discovered in 14 cases definitely relates to the remnants of stockings.
The standardisation of techniques was noticeable. The length of seams and the width of seam allowances seems to be similar throughout the period under study: the running stitch is approximately 2–3 mm, the partial backstitch up to 7mm, and other stitches (zigzag) 2–3 mm long. The techniques identified with the help of medieval finds from Estonian cities are similar to those found in other European cities. We cannot tell from the fragments whether they have been made at home or by professional tailors.
Sewing by hand should be promoted and used in the production not only of copies of artefacts, but also of contemporary items too. This would encourage us to value handicraft and good materials and to make items that have an emotional value.
Keywords: stitches, seams, archaeology, medieval, textiles, sewing
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Good, Irene. "Archaeological Textiles: A Review of Current Research." Annual Review of Anthropology 30, no. 1 (October 2001): 209–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.anthro.30.1.209.
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Kawami, Trudy S. "Archaeological evidence for textiles in pre‐Islamic Iran." Iranian Studies 25, no. 1-2 (January 1992): 7–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00210869208701764.
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Hallmann, Aleksandra. "Textiles from Tomb II in Deir el-Bahari: preliminary report from season 2012/2013." Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean XXIV, no. 1 (February 28, 2016): 247–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0009.9910.
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In the 2012/2013 season, the Polish–Egyptian Archaeological and Conservation Mission of the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari (PCMA UW) continued work in a tomb (Tomb II) cut into the cliffs bordering the temple of Tuthmosis III from the west. The work focused on a shaft and two subterranean chambers (C and D), which yielded together more than 300 pieces of funerary linen and equipment. Despite the disturbed archaeological context, the finds constitute an important corpus of seldom studied and published Pharaonic textiles. Some of the textiles are of very high quality, up to 2 m in length and preserved with their original colors. Importantly, they portray characteristic features of Pharaonic Egyptian textiles. Several pieces have inscriptions, including one with a fragmentary cartouche.
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Pylypchuk, Oleh, Oleh Strelko, and Yulia Berdnychenko. "PREFACE." History of science and technology 12, no. 1 (June 19, 2022): 7–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.32703/2415-7422-2022-12-1-7-10.
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In the new issue, our scientific journal offers you nine scientific articles. As always, we try to offer a wide variety of topics and areas and follow current trends in the history of science and technology. The issue of the journal opens with an article dedicated to the formation and development of natural history museology in Europe in the 15th–19th centuries. The development of scientific knowledge at that time affects the idea of the world order and the place of man in it, and the combination of knowledge with practical experience leads to the birth of true science. It is shown that one of the most important components of the development of natural sciences, in particular biological sciences, was the collection of naturalia (i.e. objects of natural origin), the rapid surge of interest in which contributed to the Great Geographical Discoveries. In chronological order, the further historical development of museum work from private collections in Italy to the formation of a prototype of a genuine museum, which performs the main museum functions such as amassment, storage and demonstration of collections, is considered. The article by Leonid Griffen and co-authors considers the object and subject of the history of science and technology, its place in the system of sciences. Today, more and more people are turning to the factors that determine the interaction of the society with the environment (productive forces of the society), to study which in the historical aspect and called a special scientific discipline the history of science and technology. The composition and development of the technosphere and noosphere are considered in the article. It is shown that the functioning of the technosphere is based on its interaction with the noosphere, which provides information about the environment and controls the effectiveness of interaction with it. It is formed by combining the mental structures of individuals through sign systems. The production process that ensures the functioning of the society begins with the noosphere, which through individual consciousness controls the actions of each individual, who through the means of production (technosphere) interacts with the natural environment. However, the gradual development of productive forces leads at some point to the fact that the information needed by the individual to perform all necessary actions for the benefit of the society, ceases to fit in his individual consciousness. As a result, there is a new social phenomenon the social division of labor. The cardinal solution to the problem is the prospect of humanity entering infinite space. The article by Jun-Young Oh and Hyesook Han is devoted to the study of what Understanding mathematical abstraction in the formularization of Galileo's law. Galileo's revolution in science introduced an analytical method to science that typifies the overall modern thinking of extracting, abstracting, and grasping only critical aspects of the target phenomena and focusing on “how”, which is a quantitative relationship between variables, instead of “why”. For example, to him, the question of 'why does an object fall' is of no significance; instead, only the quantitative relationship between distance from the falling object and time is important. Yet, the most fundamental aspect of his idea is that he introduced a quantified time t. Because, according to atomic theory, vacuum exists between an atom and an object composed of atoms or between objects – ignoring factors that interfere with motion, such as friction – the space for absolute time, which is a mathematical time, can be geometrically defined. In order to justify this mathematical abstraction strategy, thought experiments were conducted rather than laboratory experiments, which at that time were difficult to perform. The article by Vasyl Andriiashko and co-authors provides a thorough overview of the evolutionary process of the emergence, establishment, and development of the Kyiv school of artistic textiles. It reveals the influence of various factors (ideological, political, economic, and aesthetic) on this process. The historical and factual method allowed us to study socio-economic, as well as historical and cultural factors that contributed to the emergence, establishment, and development of the Kyiv textile school in a chronological sequence. It is established that the very fact of emergence of the Kyiv school of artistic textile, as a community of style, unity of forms, preservation, and continuity of traditions, had unbiased backgrounds since Ukrainian decorative weaving, a part of which is Kyiv weaving, inherited the abundant artistic traditions that were created over the centuries and most vividly manifested through the art of Kyivan Rus. In the next article, the authors Artemii Bernatskyi and Mykola Sokolovskyi is devoted to the study history of military laser technology development in military applications. For better understanding and systematization of knowledge about development of historical applications in the military field, an analysis of publicly known knowledge about their historical applications in the leading world countries was conducted. The study focuses on development that was carried out by the superpowers of the Cold War and the present era, namely the United States, the Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China, and were built in metal. Multiple avenues of various applications of laser technology in military applications were studied, namely: military laser rangefinders; ground and aviation target designators; precision ammunition guidance systems; non-lethal anti-personnel systems; systems, designed to disable optoelectronics of military vehicles; as well as strategic and tactical anti-air and missile defense systems. The issues of ethical use of laser weapons and the risks of their use in armed conflicts, which led to an international consensus in the form of conventions of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, were also considered. As a result of the analysis, a systematic approach to the classification of applications of laser technology in military products by three main areas of development was proposed: ancillary applications, non-lethal direct action on the human body and optical devices of military equipment, and anti-aircraft and anti-missile defensive systems. The author of the following article considered the front line transporter as the embodiment of the USSR military doctrine in the middle of the 20th century. The paper based on a source analysis of the history of creation, design, and production of LuAZ-967, LuAZ-967M, against the background of the processes of implementing projects of small tactical high mobility wheeled vehicles for the armies of European countries, shows that the developing, testing, and commissioning a front line transporter became a deepening of the process of motorization of the Soviet army. The designs of similar vehicles have been analyzed. An attempt to assess the degree of uniqueness of the front line transporter design and its place in the history of technology, as well as its potential as a reminder of science and technology has been made. An analysis of the front line transporter design, its systems, compared with its foreign counterparts, suggests that it is a Soviet refinement of the concept of a small army vehicle, a more specific means directly for the battlefield. At the same time, it was developed taking into account foreign developments and similar designs, imitating individual designs, adapting to the capabilities of the USSR automotive industry. The next article is devoted to the study, generalization and systematization of scientific knowledge about the history of the establishment, development and operation of the regional railway system in Bukovyna in the second half of XIX – early XX centuries. The authors attempted to analyze the process of creation and operation of railways in Bukovyna during the reign of the Austro-Hungarian Empire based on a wide range of previously unpublished archival documents, periodicals, statistical literature and memoirs. The article studies the development of organizational bases for the construction of railways, the activity of the communication network management, lists a whole range of requirements and tasks set for railway transport in Bukovyna, the progress of their implementation, considers successes and difficulties in this work. The purpose of the article by authors Sana Simou, Khadija Baba and Abderrahman Nounah is to reveal, recreate as accurately as possible the characteristics of an archaeological site or part of it. The restoration and conservation of monuments and archaeological sites is a delicate operation. It requires fidelity, delicacy, precision and archaeological authenticity. Research during the last two decades has proved that 3D modeling, or the digital documentation and visualization of archaeological objects in 3D, is valuable for archaeological research. The study has opted for the technique of terrestrial and aerial photogrammetry by 3D surveys of architectural elements, to develop an archetype of the deteriorated Islamic Marinid site (a dynasty between the 13th and 15th centuries), and the Roman site (25 BC), located at the Chellah archaeological site in Rabat and Salé cities. The data acquired build an architectural database to archive and retrieve the entire existing architecture of monuments. This study has been completed by photogrammetrists, architects, and restorers. The issue of the journal ends with an article devoted to the analyzing the prerequisites and conditions for the foundation of an aircraft engine enterprise in Ukraine. Based on the retrospective analysis, the prerequisites and conditions of the foundation of the aircraft engine enterprise in Aleksandrovsk, Ukraine, were considered. There was a severe gap between the Russian Empire and European countries in the development pace of the aviation industry during World War I. This prompted the Russian Empire to raise foreign capital, as well as attract technologies and specialists to develop aircraft engineering and other industries. By 1917, the plant had gained the status of Russia’s largest engine-building enterprise in terms of building area and one of the best in equipment. It is evident that the beginning of aircraft engine production in Aleksandrovsk relates to the establishment of a branch of Petrograd Joint Stock Company of Electromechanical Structures and the plant’s purchase from the Moznaim brothers. We hope that everyone will find interesting useful information in the new issue. And, of course, we welcome your new submissions.
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Grupa, Małgorzata, and Tomasz Kozłowski. "Selected Determinants of Social Position and Elitism in Archaeological Studies of the Early Middle Ages." Światowit, no. 60 (December 5, 2022): 87–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.31338/0082-044x.swiatowit.60.5.
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Issues related to luxury relics such as silk textiles were associated in most early medieval discoveries with the movement of Viking groups from north to south and back. These priceless relics were found on burial grounds, and their owners undoubtedly belonged to the economic elite of the population. Parallel anthropological studies were carried out to see if this elitism is corroborated by individual morphological characteristics of the deceased persons. However, no significant differences defining the elitism of the studied individuals were uncovered. It is the grave furnishings – silk fabrics in particular – that are the most important element in this regard.
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Sabatini, Serena. "Wool Economy During the European Bronze Age." Światowit 56, no. 1 (January 14, 2019): 43–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0012.8457.
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A number of studies over the last decades have considerably increased our knowledge about production and trade of woollen textiles during the Bronze Age in the Near East, the Aegean, and continental Europe. In the wider Mediterranean area, thanks to the abundance of available evidence, it has been possible to use the concept of wool economy as a frame of reference to define the complex mechanisms behind production and trade of wool. The main aim of this paper is to reflect upon using the concept of wool economy to enhance our understanding of the relevant archaeological evidence from Bronze Age continental Europe.
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Harris, Julie A. "Jews, Real and Imagined, at San Isidoro de León and Beyond." Medieval Encounters 25, no. 1-2 (March 28, 2019): 180–201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/15700674-12340043.
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Abstract From the tenth to the fifteenth centuries, medieval León possessed a thriving Jewish community whose presence can be traced via archaeological and documentary remains. As regards the treasury of San Isidoro de León, however, there is no evidence for the involvement of living Jews with its luxury objects—an involvement that has been documented in comparable centers elsewhere in Iberia and Europe. Apart from a possible but unproven relationship to its textiles, a Jewish connection to the Treasury of San Isidoro remains ideological and limited to the presence of Abraham’s relics in a single treasury object. However, both living and ideological Jews can be associated with León’s cathedral, where a portion of the Jewish community’s annual taxes was earmarked to light its altars and where the sculptural program featured the blind synagogue.
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Müller, M., B. Murphy, M. Burghammer, C. Riekel, E. Pantos, and J. Gunneweg. "Ageing of native cellulose fibres under archaeological conditions: textiles from the Dead Sea region studied using synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction." Applied Physics A 89, no. 4 (August 15, 2007): 877–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00339-007-4219-y.
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Orendi, Andrea, Ladislav Smejda, Chris McKinny, Deborah Cassuto, Casey Sharp, and Itzick Shai. "The Agricultural Landscape of Tel Burna: Ecology and Economy of a Bronze Age/Iron Age Settlement in the Southern Levant." Journal of Landscape Ecology 10, no. 3 (December 1, 2017): 165–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/jlecol-2017-0032.
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Abstract The Shephelah, known as the breadbasket of the southern Levant, is one of the more extensively investigated regions of the southern Levant in terms of archaeobotanical research. However, studies dealing with agriculture are scarce in comparison to the archaeobotanical data available. The analysis of the archaeobotanical assemblage in combination with the archaeological remains from Tel Burna will contribute to the investigation of the agriculture of the Shephelah. Several seasons of excavation revealed a cultic complex dating to the Late Bronze Age and an Iron Age II settlement with various agricultural installations such as silos and wine or olive presses. In this paper, we present the agricultural features in conjunction with the systematical archaeobotanical sampling, which enables us to reconstruct the types of crop plants cultivated at the site. Grass pea seeds dominate the assemblage collected from the Late Bronze Age complex, which may point to a connection to the Aegean. The Iron Age assemblage is distinguished by a significantly broad range of crop plants which were cultivated in vicinity of the tell. The archaeological Iron Age remains indicate that the processing of secondary products such as olive oil, wine, or textiles took place within the Iron Age settlement of Tel Burna. This first comprehensive overview describes the character of agricultural production in the Late Bronze Age to Iron Age environmental and geopolitical transformations.
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Knobloch, Patricia J. "Wari Ritual Power at Conchopata: An Interpretation of Anadenanthera Colubrina Iconography." Latin American Antiquity 11, no. 4 (December 2000): 387–402. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/972003.
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AbstractIconographic studies often provide evidence to interpret ritual activities of archaeologically known cultures. Recent excavations at the site of Conchopata near Ayacucho, Peru, led to a re-analysis of the ritual behavior of Middle Horizon (A. D. 750-1000) Wari society. The identification of a hallucinogenic plant design, Anadenanthera colubrina, depicted on Conchopata offering pottery contributes a crucial understanding of a previously unknown artistic icon. This icon was discerned as depicted in various abstract renditions on Middle Horizon textiles, snuff paraphernalia, ceramics, and stone sculpture, including the Gate of the Sun at Tiwanaku, Bolivia. Based on historic and ethnographic evidence, the plant's prehistoric use as a hallucinogen is discussed with regard to suggested chicha drinking ceremonies, and the transitional role of Wari leaders from shamans to priests.
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Merkulov, Aleksandr, and Marina Savenkova. "Spinning and Weaving of the Middle Don Population of the Scythian Time." Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Serija 4. Istorija. Regionovedenie. Mezhdunarodnye otnoshenija, no. 3 (July 2019): 37–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2019.3.3.
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Introduction. The article analyzes the level of developing spinning and weaving production of the Middle Don population in the Scythian time. Based on studying textile prints on the bottoms of ceramic vessels, as well as some extant samples of fabrics, the fineness of threads and the direction of their twist, the type of weave and the density of fabrics are reconstructed. Methods. The authors studied 18 samples of fabric imprints on the bottoms of the ceramic vessels of Mostyshche hillfort. The imprints were made with the help of highly plastic clay. The analysis of the extant fragments of fabrics was carried out with the help of microscopic equipment in the laboratory of the State Historical Museum. Analysis. The fabric imprints of different varieties made of fibers of vegetable origin were found on the pottery from Mostishche hillfort. The density of coarser ones did not exceed 10 threads per 1 cm. The majority were fabrics with a density of up to 15 threads per 1 cm. The textile from the barrow burials was made of woolen threads, was of high density and, accordingly, a higher quality. In addition, one of the fabric fragments found in the barrows was painted red, and probably was imported. Results. Almost all analyzed samples had a simple plain weave of 1/1. An exception was only a fragment of fabrics found near Mastyugino village, which had a rep weave of 1/3. The fineness of threads in fabrics varied, but, as a rule, was uniform over the entire length, which indicates a highly developed spinning process. The uniform distribution of weft and warp threads in the fabric structure, as well as using threads of different twist direction in one fabrics, shows developed weaving production. The analysis of other archaeological sources, as well as involving ethnographic data allows the authors of the article to assume parallel use of horizontal and vertical weaving looms in the Scythian time in the Middle Don.
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Gage, John. "What Meaning had Colour in Early Societies?" Cambridge Archaeological Journal 9, no. 1 (April 1999): 109–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0959774300015237.
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Colour is one of the most prominent features of human experience, but has often been ignored or overlooked in archaeological research. All practising archaeologists are aware of the colour of the materials which they handle — be they stone artefacts, painted pots, prehistoric monuments (frontispiece) or historical buildings. Yet all too frequently these items are robbed of their colour when they are published as black and white photos, abstract plans or reductionist line drawings. Equally discouraging is the fact that original colours are frequently missing or faded, removed by the passage of centuries. We know, for example, that the famous marble Cycladic figurines were originally brightly painted, but few traces of colouring survive. Yet such traces are enough to alert us to the radical transformation which colour could bring to old and faded remains.In this Viewpoint feature we have invited a range of specialists to consider the meaning of colour in early societies. The intention has been to focus on those societies where evidence of colour is not so readily apparent. Egyptian art and Palaeolithic caves have their place in this debate, but we are also interested in the selection of stones of particular colours for tools or structures, and for the use of colour in textiles; areas in which almost all early societies must have been engaged.The meaning of colour may be approached at a variety of levels. In literate societies, or those with a rich and detailed iconographic tradition, it may be possible to explore the particular significance of different colours in myths or rituals. Such understanding is more difficult in the case of prehistoric societies, yet even here we can gain some insight into colour symbolism by careful consideration of context, or by cautious appeal to common human experience. Context may suggest that red ochre in burials equates with blood, common experience that yellow is associated with the sun, and blue with the sky or the sea. The value accorded to particular colours can also be indicated by the workmanship and finish which objects received, and the distances that materials travelled: polished jadeite from the Alps to Scotland, or lapis lazuli from Afghanistan to Mesopotamia.As the following articles demonstrate, all societies are concerned about colour, and such concern can be traced back to at least the Upper Palaeolithic, if not before. To what extent particular colours, such as red or black, have cross-cultural significance, is an altogether more difficult question. Colour awareness and colour sensitivity must however be an integral part of any archaeological analysis concerned with the development and nature of human cognition.
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Krol, Alexei A., Natalia Y. Berezina, Alina Kh Chirkova, Olga A. Fedorchuk, Fedor I. Gordeev, Olga S. Kalinina, and Elena G. Tolmacheva. "Research of the Nubian archaeological and anthropological expedition of the Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University in Central Atbai (2017–2022)." Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), no. 3 (September 15, 2022): 100–124. http://dx.doi.org/10.32521/2074-8132.2022.3.100-124.
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Materials and methods. This article is a collective research conducted by the members of the Nubian archaeological and anthropological expedition of the Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of the Lomonosov Moscow State University. The article outlines the main results of the expedition's work over four field seasons at the Deraheib site, located at the headstream of Wadi al-Allaqi, in the northern part of the Nubian desert (Central Atbai) in the Republic of Sudan. From 2017 to 2022 The Nubian expedition excavated the Northern Fortress, Building 3 (Mosque) at the settlement of Deraheib, the Southern Necropolis; carried out an reconnaissance mission to the Onib ring structure. Results and discussion. Based on the study of the obtained archaeological materials (primarily the analysis of ceramics and textiles), as well as data from written sources, it was established that the medieval part of history of the monument covers the period between the 9th and 12th centuries. The archaeological site of Deraheib can be associated with the city of Al-Allaqi, mentioned in Arabic sources as a gold mining center in the Nubian desert, a trading city that was located on one of the caravan routes connecting the Red Sea port of Aidhab and the city of Aswan. The materials of the excavations of the Northern Fortress made it possible to advance a hypothesis that the building, erected in the 9th century, functioned more like a fortified castle of the local ruler rather than a fortress. The study of Building 3 allows us to say with confidence that it was a Friday mosque, founded at the beginning of the 10th century. Ongoing excavations in the Southern Necropolis have revealed Muslim burials (25 out of 31 investigated burials) and burials that are associated with the population that lived on the territory of Atbai in the Late Antique — Early Medieval period, known from classical sources as Blemmyes. A group of anthropologists obtained important data on the sex and age of the population of Deraheib, traces of daily activities and pathologies reflected in the skeleton. An important direction in the research of the MSU complex expedition is the study of the modern population of Central Atbai, primarily the Bisharin tribe of the Beja tribal union. The article outlines the main directions of these studies and preliminary results.
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Richardin, Pascale, Annie Perraud, Jasmine Hertzog, Karine Madrigal, and Didier Berthet. "Radiocarbon Dating of a Series of the Heads of Egyptian Mummies from the Musée des Confluences, Lyon (France)." Radiocarbon 59, no. 2 (January 3, 2017): 609–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/rdc.2016.105.
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AbstractAs part of a multidisciplinary project concerning the practices of mummification in ancient Egypt, we studied a series of 33 human remains, collected during the late 19th century. These heads of human mummies belong to the Osteology collection from the Musée des Confluences of Lyon. One of the important issues of this research project was to establish a chronology of the mummification processes. However, the lack of archaeological data and excavation reports does not allow the dating of the specimens. Thus, during this project, these heads have been radiocarbon dated in order to place the individuals in a reliable chronological and cultural framework. As a result, 20 samples of hair and 13 samples of linen textiles of the wrappings have been taken. The results raised a lot of uncertainties about the chronology of these mummies and the need to validate or correct the original date attributions were given by the discoverers. As an example, among the 13 mummies thought to be dated between the 11th and 20th Dynasties, none appears from this period. In the same way, six mummies were originally dated from the Ptolemaic period. However, only one belongs to this period, four are Roman, and the last one is from the New Kingdom.
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Pohorzhelska, Iryna, and Serhii Gorbanenko. "Slavic Textiles of the Last Quarter of the 1st Millennium AD: Study Results." Arheologia, no. 4 (December 23, 2022): 49–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.15407/arheologia2022.04.049.
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The article is devoted to the analysis of the state of research and the introduction into scientific circulation of data on Slavic fabrics of the last quarter of the first millennium AD. In order to establish potential research opportunities, the general state of the study of fabrics in Ukraine according to archaeological remains is examined. Until now, the fabrics of the Slavs of the first quarter of the 1st millennium AD on the territory of modern Ukraine have not been studied. Their study is now available on the basis of fabric prints on clay products (13), as well as on the iron plate (1); the findings of actual fabrics of this period are currently unknown to the researchers. Such prints should be considered accidental, and their findings are extremely rare. It is hardly possible to count on further fast filling of this database. Local fabrication is not in doubt. Potentially, the existence of raw materials is evidenced by biological definitions (plants — flax and hemp; animals — sheep / goats) and the existence of the possibility of getting wool (spring scissors). The findings of spindle whorls directly certify the manufacture of threads. According to the imprints of the fibers, the existence of threads of both plant and animal origin was established. In four cases from Radychivske 3, the use of a stronger thread of vegetable origin for the warp and of animal thread for wefting was witnessed. In this way a better wear resistance of the fabric was achieved. The fabrics were plain weave, mostly the simplest, but from Radychivskе 3 comes their more complex type — mat R 4/4. The prevalence of this type should be left in question. A wide range of thread compressibility is indicated. It is from 0.03 to 2.5 mm. However, the thinnest of them probably indicate the wear of the fabric. Accordingly, the tissue density also differed significantly. The imprint with the densest weave — 23 × 23 n./cm2, comes from an iron plate. Probably, accidental prints on ceramics indicate that the potter may have had a rag of coarse cloth under his hands. Twist types (S and Z) are unlikely to reflect technological processes; instead, they may indicate the protective nature of the manufacture of threads. The twist angle (giving strength to the thread), which indicates the use of stronger threads for the warp is more important. Thus, the production of fabrics by the Slavs of the first quarter of the 1st millennium AD on the territory of modern Ukraine should be considered predominantly simple (though not primitive). Craftsmen used different raw materials, knew their benefits and could combine threads in the manufacture of fabric to improve its durability. The same is evidenced by the use of threads with different twisting angles.
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Kuttruff, Jenna Tedrick. "The Interpretation of Textile Production and Use by High and Low Status Caddoan Groups." MRS Proceedings 185 (1990). http://dx.doi.org/10.1557/proc-185-777.
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AbstractThis paper demonstrates the application of technical studies of the fragmented remains of archaeological textiles to the reconstruction of past textile technologies and to the interpretation of the cultural phenomenon of status differentiation. The analyses of archaeological textile remains recovered from Caddoan burial contexts (Mississippian period) in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri provided information for the interpretation of differential production and use of textiles by high and low status groups within that prehistoric society of the southeastern United States. The research is based upon the characterization of specific textile attributes and burial context. The data sets utilized in the textile analyses include fabric structure, fabric scale, edge treatment, patterning, design, coloration, yarn structure, and fibers. Production complexity for each textile is assessed and then ranked using a recently developed textile production complexity index. Those specific textile attributes that appear to be most highly associated with status differences are identified using two different statistical procedures. Technological differences as well as textile utilization patterns between high and low groups are explored.
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Frei, Karin M. "Provenance of archaeological wool textiles: new case studies." Open Journal of Archaeometry 2, no. 1 (January 21, 2014). http://dx.doi.org/10.4081/arc.2014.5239.
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In the last two decades, measurements of strontium (Sr) isotopes in archaeological bone tissues/skeletons have shown to be an effective technique for the characterisation of human and animal mobility in prehistory. More recently, this tracing system is also being applied to the investigation of archaeological textile’s provenance. The importance of ancient textiles has been often underestimated, however research of archaeological textiles is currently experiencing an extremely increasing interest as the development of new methodologies, conducting experimental studies and lancing of new projects are providing an unreached amount of new information, knowledge and impressive data sets which together build the basis of novel thinking and interpretations. This manuscript aims at summarising two of the most recently developed methods that focus on the extraction of Sr from ancient non-dyed and organic-dyed wool threads from archaeological textiles in an attempt to identify if the raw materials are local or non-local to the sites. In particular, this study presents two case studies which rely on the use of these chemical protocols. The first example deals with a wool/fur sample from a modern Greenlandic Musk ox. The purpose of this study is to characterise wool from an exotic animal on the one side, and to try to establish a link between this wool and a geologically-seen ancient and very special terrain (Archaean basement rocks from the Kangerlussuaq area of Western Greenland) on which this musk ox was grazing. Our interest was focused on whether the bioavailable Sr fraction from this terrain impacted on the composition of the wool from the animal. The second case study deals with three thread samples from four ancient wool textile pieces recovered from one and the same pre-Roman Iron Age peat bog site at Krogens Mølle (Denmark). Some of these textiles have proven to be dyed with organic dyestuffs. This study therefore aimed at applying a novel pre-cleaning methodology developed for dyed (by organic dyestuffs) wool threads from ancient textiles. The outcome of these two particular studies revealed both the potential of these novel methodologies for retrieving the original Sr isotope signature of the raw material wool, and their limitations.
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Al-Gaoudi, Hanaa A., and Nermin M. Aly. "The Characterization of Some Ancient Egyptian Funerary Linens from the Twenty-First Dynasty Discovered in the Bab El-Gasus Excavation." Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, July 12, 2021, 030751332110223. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/03075133211022364.
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The ancient Egyptians had a distinct and flourishing textile industry with diverse characteristics. The developments in archaeological textile studies over the last few decades have assisted in identifying the techniques used in the manufacture of fabrics and demonstrated the complexity of this ancient industry. The ancient Egyptians are well-known for the production of linen fabrics of varying structures and purposes for everyday use by different social classes. The Bab El-Gasus tomb at Deir El-Bahari, the tomb of the priests and priestesses of Amun, is one of the most important excavations for this subject as within the tomb several types of funerary linen textiles from the Twenty-First Dynasty (1070–945 BC) were discovered. This paper aims to characterize some of these linen pieces that were preserved and displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The pieces are of high-quality linen, were decorated, and retain their original colours. Investigations were carried out to study their main textile characteristics such as thread diameter, twist direction, thread count and weave type, in addition to characterizing the diagnostic features of the textiles such as fringes, selvedges, self-bands, hues, decoration and their state of deterioration. A Dino-Lite portable digital microscope was used to examine the linen textiles. There were various significant findings and the study revealed some of the distinctive characteristics and versatility of ancient Egyptian textiles, offering new insights for the textile production techniques used at that time.
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Вяземский, А. В., and Т. А. Левыкина. "THE ASSEMBLAGE OF FEMALE JEWELRY FROM THE TVER’ HOARD OF 2011 (TRUDOLYUBIYA-2 EXCAVATION TRENCH)." Краткие сообщения Института археологии (КСИА), no. 257 (December 2, 2019). http://dx.doi.org/10.25681/iaras.0130-2620.257.261-272.
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В статье рассматривается клад, датируемый концом XVI - началом XVII в., зафиксированный в 2011 г. в ходе проведения спасательных археологических работ на территории строительства по адресу: г. Тверь, пер. Трудолюбия, д. 2. Комплекс состоит из текстильных изделий и набора женских ювелирных украшений, характерных для обозначенного хронологического периода. Описаны особенности технологических приемов, с помощью которых выполнены ювелирные изделия. Помимо этого приведены результаты культурологического анализа и естественно-научных исследований. Подобная находка наглядно характеризует стилистические и технологические особенности ювелирного дела XVI-XVII вв. на территории Руси, в том числе его Новгородскую традицию . The paper reports on the hoard dating to the end of the 16th - early 17th centuries discovered during rescue archaeological works on the construction site at Trudolyubiya side street 2, Tver, in 2011. The assemblage consists of textile goods and a set of female jewelry typical for this chronological period. It describes specific features of techniques used to make these jewelry pieces. The paper also contains results of the culturological analysis and scientific studies. This find is a good illustration of stylistic and technological features of jewelry production in the 16th-17th centuries in Medieval Russia, including its Novgorod tradition.
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Янсоне, С. "POSSIBLE RECONSTRUCTION OF FEMALE COSTUME IN GROBIŅA: BALTIC INFLUENCE AND SCANDINAVIAN STYLE." Краткие сообщения Института археологии (КСИА), no. 260 (September 5, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.25681/iaras.0130-2620.260.297-304.
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При изучении развития костюма в разных странах, особенно в Европе, пока нет исследований, посвященных скандинавскому костюму Вендельской эпохи (во время которой в Гробиня была основана скандинавская колония). К сожалению, в это время в Скандинавии основным способом женских захоронений является кремация, в результате чего находки тканей являются редкостью, а прямые находки костюмов отсутствуют. Задача этой статьи – охарактеризовать возможные детали женского костюма, основываясь на находках из Гробиня, с острова Готланд и континентальной части Швеции, включая анализ возможного воздействия куршей на костюм в колонии в Гробиня. В то же время необходимо отметить, что эта реконструкция основана только на археологических находках и является гипотетической. In the study of development of costume in different countries and especially in Europe, no special studies have been conducted concerning the costume during Scandinavian Vendel period, which coincides with the time when a Norse colony was founded in Grobiņa. Unfortunately, like in the rest of Scandinavia, women were usually cremated, so that the textile finds are few in number and there is no direct evidence of the dress. The aim of the paper is to characterize the possible details of women’s dress on the basis of the information from Grobiņa, Gotland and mainland Sweden, including analysis of the possible Curonian influence on the costume in the Grobiņa colony. It should be noted, however, that this hypothesis is based only on the archaeological discoveries, and the proposed reconstruction is therefore hypothetical.
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Suomela, Jenni A., Heikki Suhonen, Riikka Räisänen, and Krista Wright. "Identifying Late Iron Age textile plant fibre materials with microscopy and X-ray methods — a study on finds from Ravattula Ristimäki (Kaarina, Finland)." Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences 14, no. 3 (February 11, 2022). http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12520-022-01507-4.
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AbstractIn Finland, the earliest remains of a Christian church and cemetery date to the Late Iron Age (800–1150/1300 AD) and have been excavated in Ravattula Ristimäki, in Kaarina, southwestern Finland. In this study, seven assumingly plant fibre textile samples from individual inhumation graves were analysed to identify their materials. The aim of the study was to investigate the possibilities of identifying archaeological plant fibre samples using a three-stage procedure by observing the surface characteristics, microfibrillar orientation and cross section of the fibres via transmitted light microscopy (TLM). The identification process was based on such a TLM characterisation. Additionally, parts of the samples were studied with X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) to test the possibilities of using the X-ray methods in research and to identify bast fibre textiles. Both flax and nettle were found in the samples, indicating a preference for these two fibre plants in Late Iron Age Finland.
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Bender Jørgensen, Lise, and Dagfinn Moe. "En glemt skatt, Miranda Bødtkers tegninger af arkæologiske tekstiler." Viking 83, no. 1 (November 11, 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.5617/viking.8256.
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Over many years, illustrator Miranda Bødtker (1896–1996) carried out drawings for botanists, zoologists and archaeologists at Bergen Museum, the University of Bergen. After her death, thousands of drawings were discovered in her estate. Among them were numerous unpublished drawings of archaeological textiles from five sites. Bødtker’s illustrations show that although several scholars have studied the textiles, none had seen them all. This applies in particular to textiles from two Viking Age burials, Grønhaug and Dale, both of which comprise remains of figured tapestries that are hardly mentioned in archaeological literature. Grønhaug, and a boat from Halsnøy also offer several types of textiles related to the maritime world. The paper presents Bødtker’s drawings and discusses how they compare with published descriptions of those textiles, with drawings of textiles from the Oseberg burial, and to what degree this form of documentation meets current scientific demands.
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Boertien, Jeannette. "Loom weights as a research tool." BAF-Online: Proceedings of the Berner Altorientalisches Forum 1 (January 16, 2017). http://dx.doi.org/10.22012/04.
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The function of loom weights was to stretch and space the warp threads on a vertical loom. The loom weight is often the only preserved remnant of a loom used in antiquity. Because of their ubiquity, loom weights are the main key to the study of textile production in the Iron Age in the Levant.During excavations loom weights are easy to recognize if they are made of metal, stone or ceramics. Within burnt layers, unfired clay loom weights can be accidentally fired and thus well preserved. But it is difficult to recognize and securely excavate unfired raw clay loom weights. The two main problems are:1. Unfired loom weights disintegrate when they get wet.2. When excavating a mudbrick site, the clay of the loom weights resembles the matrix they were found in.Clay loom weights were sometimes fired, resulting in durable terracotta weights, but the majority were made of unfired clay. Unlike Staermose Nielsen (Staermose Nielsen, K.-H. In: Pritchard, F. and J.F. Wild (ed.). Northern Archaeological Textiles NESAT VII. Oxbow Books, Oxford, 2005:130), who states: “Groups of unbaked clay weights are the more numerous of all, but as clay loom weights reveal themselves on excavations only as disintegrated lumps, their usefulness in a classification is minimal.” For many excavations Staermose Nielsen is right. But that is because of the way the weights are excavated rather than preserved in the ground. I will demonstrate that clay loom weights, when properly excavated and preserved, can be classified and studied in a meaningful way, enabling us to reconstruct textile production. The practical part.I would like to share a registration form for loom weights to be used in excavations and research projects (see abstract link below). Your comments and ideas on my conceptual form are very welcome!
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Lipkin, Sanna, Erika Ruhl, Krista Vajanto, Annemari Tranberg, and Jenni Suomela. "Textiles: Decay and Preservation in Seventeenth- to Nineteenth-Century Burials in Finland." Historical Archaeology, November 30, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41636-020-00270-4.
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AbstractThe taphonomy of human remains and associated funerary textiles are inevitably linked. The interplay among burial clothes, human remains, insects, rodents, and preservation is explored through study of a group of postmedieval burials in Finland. These burials have been either archaeologically excavated or inventoried beneath wooden church floors. Decay and preserving factors for various conditions are studied, allowing in-depth study of individual garments and identification of the burial season. In addition, research has revealed different factors that have an effect on future preservation of the burials under church floors.
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Janowski, Andrzej, and Piotr Kotowicz. "Stan badań nad uzbrojeniem wczesnośredniowiecznym w Polsce – w 65 lat po studiach Andrzeja Nadolskiego." Światowit. Supplement. Series B. Barbaricum, January 1, 2021, 85–121. http://dx.doi.org/10.47888/uw.2720-0817.2021.13.pp.85-121.
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The State of Research on Early Medieval Weaponry in Poland – 65 Years After Studies by Andrzej NadolskiAndrzej. Nadolski’s monograph “Studies of the early medieval arms and armour from the Polish lands in the 10th-12th centuries” that was published in 1954 was the first major work in Polish scholarship that made use of archaeological sources in studies on military affairs. Earlier works by Józef Łepkowski, Tadeusz Korzon and Władysław Dziewanowski were actually solely based on written and iconographic sources. The period of 65 years which has passed since the publication of Andrzej Nadolski’s book is a good moment for undertaking an attempt at confronting it with the present state of research on early medieval weaponry in Poland. Nadolski’s typological proposals are still in use; on the other hand, due the growth in the number of finds the source basis of his book has become significantly obsolete. It is possible to isolate two periods in studies on early medieval arms and armour: until 1989 and after this date. This caesura is not a matter of incident. There is no doubt that democratisation of public life after the fall of communism in Poland significantly influenced the mentality of subsequent generations of researchers. Furthermore, it facilitated access to foreign literature, which was manifested in a broader research perspective. In the first period, activities in the Łódź research centre come to the forefront. These were examinations undertaken both by Andrzej Nadolski himself (in the years 1947–1993 he published about 70 works on weaponry and military affairs) or by his students gathered in the Atelier for History of Old Weaponry in the Institute of History of Material Culture of the Polish Academy of Sciences. A research team that was formed here was termed “the Łódź school of archaeological arms and armour studies”. Within the framework of this Atelier a few research works originated which became canonical in Central European arms and armour literature. What is more, Nadolski was one of initiators and authors of the first arms and armour exhibition in the history of post-war Poland (1978). He was also a founder and the first editor of the Fasciculi Archaeologiae Historicae periodical. It has been issued since 1986 by the Łódź Branch of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Papers on weaponry and military issues have constituted a significant part of each volume of this journal. Archaeological arms and armour studies before 1989 were also pursued in other research centres. In Poznań, it was as early as the 1950s that Zofia Hilczerówna and Jan Żak were carrying out studies on equestrian equipment and parts of horse tack. Among researchers who were active in Wrocław one must mention Wanda Sarnowska and later on Krzysztof Wachowski. A dozen of so works also originated in other research centres; these works, however, were rather short (sometimes a few sentences long) mentions or papers which could be now termed case studies. Among these studies, the greatest number concerned swords, parts of horse tack and spurs. It must be underlined that it was as early as in the late 1950s that metallurgical examinations and analyses commenced to be used in order to answer questions concerning the technology and methods of weaponry manufacture. To sum up the first period of post-war arms and armour studies, the very fact that such research was undertaken and that archaeological finds were taken into consideration was of significance. What also deserves attention was the use of results of analyses of medieval iconography in formal and typological studies, as well as the first cases of technological examinations. As regard deficiencies, one must mention an almost complete absence of research works on battlefields, a rather low interest in studies on staff and butt weapons, as well as in research concerning the period before the 10th c. After the fall of communism in 1989 certain changes took place in the structure of the community of weaponry researchers. Students of Nadolski formed arms and armour research centres at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and at the University of Łódź. The 1990s first of all brought a number of studies which critically assessed early medieval archaeological sources that had been gathered so far. Their criticism especially concerned the importance of weapons as chronology markers, with special reference to spurs with hook-shaped terminals. In the Łódź centre a study of Polish military technique until 1500 and two volumes of history of late medieval weaponry were completed in this time. Furthermore, research on stirrups and weaponry of nomadic peoples were also carried out. On the other hand, the most important issue in the Poznań centre was the presence of Scandinavian weaponry and warriors in the territory of the Piast State. Furthermore, individual finds of weaponry were still published in various regions of Poland. Sometimes these finds underwent more in-depth specialist analyses, aimed at identifying their technology of manufacture. More extensive studies on pre-Romanesque spurs and swords can be seen as exceptions. The post-millennium period is remarkable for an intensification of studies on early medieval weaponry. This intensification was spurred by three initiatives which were undertaken independently in various research centres. The first of these came into being in the Łódź centre and concerned a new study on early medieval weaponry from various regions of Poland. This ambitious plan was only partially fulfilled by means of publications of arms and armour from Western Pomerania and Lesser Poland. The second initiative was related to the fact of undertaking systematic underwater examinations in Lake Lednica by the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. The assemblage of weaponry that was gathered in the course of this research is one of the most numerous in Poland. Apart from papers of various size, it was also discussed in three monographs concerning axes, swords as well as staff weapons and protective equipment. The third initiative is the foundation of anew periodical “Acta Militaria Mediaevalia” which focuses on medieval weaponry. The idea of this journal was proposed by Piotr Kotowicz and the first volume was published in 2005. Due to these initiatives it came to a sort of “changing of the guard” in the arms and armour research community. Researchers from a new generation came into prominence. They were focusing both on regional research, related to place of their employment, but were also undertaking more general studies. This resulted in a number of new works. Apart from swords and axes, which were also often dealt with in previous studies, more attention was paid to spur thong fittings, sword scabbard chapes, mace heads, flail striking ends and to shields. A separate research trend were works devoted to ideological significance of weapons, their religious and symbolic meanings as well as studies on trauma inflicted by weapons. Cyclical meetings within the framework of the Andrzej Nadolski Colloquia have become an opportunity for exchange of ideas and presentation of research results. The same role has been fulfilled by Festschriften for doyens of Polish arms and armour studies. Analogously to the previous period, however, a number of weaponry studies came into being beyond the main trends. In result of this, numerous arms and armour papers sometimes appeared in niche publications. Regrettably, the last two decades have also brought an increase in activity of illegal treasure hunters equipped with advanced metal detectors. Their activity has led to a discovery of an unspecified number of finds of weaponry (hundreds, if not thousands). Out of these, only few found their way to the academic discourse and (sometimes) to collections of museum institutions. Discoveries of the last 65 years have dramatically enlarged the source basis of weaponry finds. For instance, the number of axes (178 specimens were known to Nadolski) has increased five times (891 finds in 2014). This is also the case with other categories of finds. In such a huge assemblage of artefacts there are finds which cannot be classified with the use of existing typologies. This enforced corrections of typologies which are in use or creations of new ones. The recent period has also brought numerous works discussing multi-aspect specialist analyses of arms and armour, also including studies on weapon parts made from organic materials (leather, wood and textiles). On the other hand, as compared with archaeological finds, much less attention was paid to iconographic depictions of weaponry and interpretation of written sources. This overview of issues in research on early medieval weaponry in the territory of Poland demonstrates an enormous progress which has taken place since the publication of Nadolski’s monograph. This is first of all a quantitative progress – it can be speculated that about a dozen or so thousand of various finds related to military equipment of 8th–mid-13th c. warriors have been discovered so far in the territory of Poland. Due to international contacts, access to the most recent literature and a possibility of a more and more precise dating of artefacts, this progress is also qualitative in its nature. In the discussed period, some categories of weapons became subjects of separate studies (e.g., axes or swords), while other still wait for their monographers. Concerning other research postulates, one must mention a need for a comprehensive analysis of sources from the so-called tribal period or weapons from eastern borderlands of present-day Poland. It is also necessary to renew monographic studies for individual regions of the country. As it can be seen, the community of students of early medieval weaponry in Poland still face a great deal of work and numerous challenges.