Abstract nr. TH1-13
Tradition and innovation in textile technology in Bronze Age Europe and the Mediterranean
Author - Ulanowska, Agata, Polish Academy of Sciences, Łódź, Poland (Presenting author)
Co-author(s) - Siennicka, Małgorzata, The Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for
Textile Research, SAXO Inst, Copenhagen, Denmark
Topic - Interpreting the Archaeological Record
Keywords: Bronze Age Europe, Bronze Age Mediterranean, textile production
The textile craft, with its complex technology and socio-cultural significance, has been a key craft
in the societies of Bronze Age Europe and the Mediterranean. Although complex and socially and
economically important, textile technology has been often considered rather traditional and noninnovative throughout many centuries of the Bronze Age.
The present session aims to examine textile technology in search of its traditional and innovative
elements, by investigating the evidence of archaeological textiles, textile tools and their changes
over time, the botanical and faunal environment, textual sources and the imagery of textiles and
cloths. The session will focus on the Bronze Age in Europe and the Mediterranean, although
papers on transitional periods from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age, and from the Late
Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age are also welcome.
We particularly welcome all papers discussing the various aspects of traditions and innovations
traced in textile technology, especially those regarding raw materials and their processing, textile
techniques, textile tools and equipment, the organisation of textile production and the dynamics of
its specialisations, cross-cultural and cross-craft interactions, and changes in the textile craft in
relation to socio-cultural transformations of the past societies.
Presentation Preference - Regular session (half day)