Prehistoric, Ancient Near Eastern & Aegean Textiles and Dress: An Interdisciplinary Anthology

321 Pages·2015·46.028 MB·English

by  Marie-Louise Nosch, Cécile Michel, Mary Harlow

Ancient textiles series Vol. 18
Prehistoric, Ancient
neAr eAstern And AegeAn
textiles And dress
an Interdisciplinary Anthology
edited by
Mary Harlow, Cécile Michel and Marie-Louise Nosch
Oxbow Books
Oxford & Philadelphia
Published in the United Kingdom in 2014 by
OXBOW BOOKS
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© Oxbow Books and the individual contributors 2014
Paperback Edition: ISBN 978-1-78297-719-3
Digital Edition: ISBN 978-1-78297-720-9
Mobi: ISBN 978-1-78297-721-6; PDF: ISBN 978-1-78297-722-3
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Prehistoric, ancient Near Eastern and Aegean textiles and dress : an interdisciplinary anthology / edited
by Mary Harlow, C?cile Michel and Marie-Louise Nosch.
1 online resource. -- (Ancient textiles series ; Vol. 18)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
ISBN 978-1-78297-720-9 (epub) -- ISBN 978-1-78297-721-6 (mobi (kindle)) -- ISBN 978-1-78297-
722-3 ( pdf) -- ISBN 978-1-78297-719-3 (alk. paper) 1. Textile fabrics, Ancient--Middle East. 2.
Textile fabrics, Ancient--Aegean Sea Region. 3. Clothing and dress--Middle East--History--To 1500.
4. Clothing and dress--Aegean Sea Region--History--To 1500. I. Harlow, Mary, 1956- editor of
compilation. II. Michel, Cécile, editor of compilation. III. Nosch, Marie-Louise, editor of compilation.
NK8907
746.093--dc23
2015000893
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Front cover:Detail of the skirt, showing the loose belt on ivory figurine NAM 6580, Prosymna.
contents
Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................v
contributors ...................................................................................................................................vii
1 investigating neolithic and copper Age textile Production in transylvania (romania).
Applied Methods and results
Paula Mazăre ...........................................................................................................................1
2 spindle Whorls From two Prehistoric settlements on thassos, north Aegean
Sophia Vakirtzi, Chaido Koukouli–Chryssanthaki and Stratis Papadopoulos ......................43
3 textile texts of the lagaš ii Period
Richard Firth ............................................................................................................................57
4 in search of lost costumes. on royal attire in Ancient Mesopotamia,
with special reference to the Amorite
Ariane Thomas .......................................................................................................................74
5 elements for a comparative study of textile Production and Use
in hittite Anatolia and in neighbouring Areas
Giulia Baccelli, Benedetta Bellucci and Matteo Vigo ...........................................................97
6 Buttons, Pins, clips and Belts….. ‘inconspicuous’ dress Accessories
from the Burial context of the Mycenaean Period (16th–12th cent. Bc)
Eleni Konstantinidi-Syvridi ..................................................................................................143
7 textile semitic loanwords in Mycenaean as Wanderwörter
Valentina Gasbarra ..............................................................................................................158
8 constructing Masculinities through textile Production in the Ancient near east
Agnès Garcia-Ventura ..........................................................................................................167
9 spindles and distaffs: late Bronze and early iron Age eastern Mediterranean
Use of solid and tapered ivory/Bone shafts
Caroline Sauvage .................................................................................................................184
iv Contents
10 golden decorations in Assyrian textiles: An interdisciplinary Approach
Salvatore Gaspa ...................................................................................................................227
11 e-ri-ta’s dress: contribution to the study of the Mycenaean Priestesses’ Attire
Tina Boloti ............................................................................................................................245
12 Flax and linen in the First Millennium Babylonia Bc: the origins, craft industry
and Uses of a remarkable textile
Louise Quillien ......................................................................................................................271
13 two special traditions in Jewish garments and the rarity of Mixing Wool
and linen threads in the land of israel
Orit Shamir ...........................................................................................................................297
Acknowledgements
this anthology forms part of the Programme International de Collaboration Scientifique (PICS)
TexOrMed = Textiles from the Orient to the Mediterranean, between the danish national research
Foundation’s centre for textile research and the cnrs Archéologies et sciences de l’Antiquité –
histoire et Archéologie de l’orient cunéiforme research group (2012–2014). We thank the cnrs
and the dnrF for their support.
this anthology, Mary harlow, cécile Michel and Marie-louise nosch (eds), Prehistoric, Ancient
Near Eastern and Aegean Textiles and Dress: an interdisciplinary anthology, Ancient textiles
Series 18, Oxbow Books, Oxford (2014) is the first volume of two, which group interdisciplinary
contributions to the field of textile research. The second volume is Mary Harlow and Marie-Louise
nosch (eds.), Greek and Roman Textiles and Dress: an interdisciplinary anthology, Ancient textiles
series 19, oxbow Books, oxford (2014).
We thank our colleagues at the centre for textile research for their valuable help and advice,
especially dr. giovanni Fanfani. We also thank clare litt, editor in chief, and sam Mcleod at
oxbow Books, for the always smooth collaboration and professional help. Finally, we thank the
authors for their excellent contributions, trust and patience.
copenhagen, december 2013
the editors
Mary harlow, cécile Michel and Marie-louise nosch

contributors
Giulia Baccelli is an archaeologist. she graduated at the University of Florence, italy with a thesis
on spinning and weaving tools found in tell Barri, syria. she completed her Phd in 2011 at the
University of tübingen, germany. her thesis dealt with the meaning and value of textiles in 2nd
millennium Bc syria, particularly focusing on the royal grave of Qatna. she has participated in
several archaeological excavations in Syria (Tell Barri, Tell Beydar and Qatna) as field archaeologist
and she is currently scientific collaborator at the University of Tübingen, Germany.
Benedetta Bellucci is an art historian and archaeologist. she received her Phd in Ancient near
eastern Archaeology and Art history at the University of Pavia (italy) in 2009 with a thesis on the
representation of composite creatures on late Bronze Age seals and seal impressions in northern
syria and southern Anatolia. she has participated in several archaeological excavations in italy,
Syria, Turkey, Libya and Qatar as field archaeologist and finds registrar.
Tina Boloti is an archaeologist and a Phd candidate at the University of crete, whose research
is co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund – ESF) and Greek national funds
(research Funding Program: heraclitus ii). her thesis, which examines the functional and symbolic
role of cloth and clothing in rituals in the Aegean late Bronze Age, constitutes a combined study
of the related iconography and the linear B archives. she participates in archaeological research
programs of The Archaeological Society at Athens (publication of the greek excavations at Mycenae)
and the Academy of Athens (research in the prehistoric settlement on Koukonisi, lemnos), while
she is collaborator of the Centre for Research & Conservation of Archaeological Textiles.
Chaido Koukouli-Chrysanthaki is honorary ephor of the greek Ministry of culture. she has
been director of the 18th ephoria of classic and Prehistoric Antiquities of Kavala (north greece)
during which time she has lead major archaeological projects in the vicinity of Kavala, the island
of thassos and east Macedonia in general. Among her several excavation projects, prehistoric
research is best represented by the excavation of the Bronze Age settlement of skala sotiros on
thassos, co-directorship of the greek/Bulgarian investigation of neolithic Promahon-topolnica
and co-directorship of the greek/French excavation of dikili tash. dr. Koukouli-chrysnathaki has
published extensively on the archaeology of thassos and the Macedonian region of northern greece.
Richard Firth is a research Associate of the University of Bristol, since 2005 a collaborator of
the danish national research Foundation’s centre for textile research, University of copenhagen,
and more recently an editor for the cuneiform digital library initiative. he has a degree in
Mathematics from cambridge, a Phd in elementary Particle Physics from durham and has had a
career in research and development in the UK nuclear power industry. he has written numerous
papers on Linear B topics including extensive studies of the find-places of the Linear B tablets at
Knossos. More recently he has written a number of papers related to the Ur iii textile industry.
viii Contributors
Agnès Garcia-Ventura is an ancient historian, post-doctoral researcher at “sapienza” Università
di roma (italy). she was awarded her Phd by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, spain) in
2012 with a thesis on the textile production in Ur iii Mesopotamia. her research focuses on textiles
and gender in Mesopotamia with particular attention to visual imagery sources such as foundation
figurines and to the organisation of work as reflected in the Ur III administrative texts. She is also
carrying out research into the historiography of Ancient near eastern studies in spain during the
20th century and into Phoenician and Punic musical performance.
Valentina Gasbarra received her Phd in Linguistics at the University of rome “sapienza”. she
is Postdoc research fellow at the department of document studies, linguistics and geography of
the University of rome “sapienza” within the activities of the italian Prin-Project “linguistic
representations of identity. sociolinguistic models and historical linguistics”. she has studied abroad
(oxford) and she has been part of different national research projects. her research interests mainly
concern Mycenaean greek, with particular focus on phonology (Mycenaean labiovelars), nominal
morphology and morpho-syntax (the different typology of compounds in linear B archives),
linguistic contacts between Mycenaean and semitic languages in the eastern Mediterranean area
during the 2nd millennium Bc, and the role of hittite as bridge-language.
Salvatore Gaspa is a historian specialized in Ancient near eastern studies. his interests focus on
the Assyrian material culture and on the history of the neo-Assyrian empire. his methodological
approach combines textual, iconographical, and archaeological investigation of the Assyrian realia.
in 2003–2004 he was granted two Finnish government Fellowships at the University of helsinki
for doctoral training and research in neo-Assyrian texts and terminology. he obtained a Phd in
semitic linguistics at the University of Florence in 2007 with a study on the terminology of vessels
in the neo-Assyrian texts and a second Phd in Ancient near eastern history at the University of
naples “l’orientale” in 2011 with a research on foods and food practices in the Assyrian cult.
in 2012 he published a monograph on foods and food practices in the state cult of the Assyrian
empire, while a book on the lexicon of neo-Assyrian vessels appeared in 2014. As a Marie curie
intra-european Fellow at the danish national research Foundation’s centre for textile research
of the University of copenhagen 2013–2015, he is carrying out a research project on textiles in
the neo-Assyrian empire.
Mary Harlow is an ancient historian, senior lecturer at the school of Archaeology and Ancient
history, University of leicester. in 2011–2013 she was guest professor at the danish national
research Foundation’s centre for textile research at the University of copenhagen. she works on
roman dress and the roman life course. her research combines literary studies, iconography and
archaeology and methodologies derived from history, anthropology and sociology. she is publishing
the cambridge Key themes volume on roman dress.
Eleni Konstantinidi-Syvridi is a curator at the collection of Prehistoric, egyptian and oriental
Antiquities at the national Archaeological Museum, Athens. she graduated from the department
of history and Archaeology at the University of ioannina, greece and received her Phd at the
University of Birmingham, UK, department of Ancient history and Archaeology. her thesis
Contributors ix
entitled Jewellery in the burial context of the Greek Bronze Age was published in 2001 (BAr is).
her research focuses on late Bronze Age Aegean and eastern Mediterranean, with particular
interest in Mycenaean jewellery and dress. she has given seminars on the history and technology
of jewellery, in greece and abroad and she is currently working on a project for the reconstruction
and terminology of ancient jewellery techniques, partly sponsored by instAP. she has participated
in the edition of several books and written articles on the late Bronze Age.
Paula Mazăre is an archaeologist. she was awarded her Phd by the University of Alba iulia,
romania in 2012 with a thesis on neolithic and copper Age textile production in transylvania
(romania). her research is focused mainly on prehistoric textile tools and textile imprints/
vestiges, but it combines computing and experimental archaeology, iconography, mythology
and ethnographic data as sources for interpreting the practical and symbolic meaning of textile
production. As team member of different archaeological excavations/research projects in the
Roman city of Alba Iulia (Apulum) she published the first study on textile production in Apulum
(roman province of dacia).
Cécile Michel is a historian and assyriologist, director of research at the national centre of
Scientific Research (CNRS) in the team Histoire et Archéologie de l’Orient Cunéiforme (Archéologies
et sciences de l’Antiquité) at nanterre. she has collaborated with the centre for textile research
(CTR) since 2005. Working on the decipherment and study of cuneiform texts from the first half
of the 2nd millennium Bc (private archives of merchants, state administrative archives), her main
research interests are Mesopotamian trade, Upper Mesopotamian and Anatolian societies, gender
studies, daily life and material culture (fauna, food, metals, textiles), calendars and chronology,
history of sciences, education, writing and computing. heading an international collaboration
Scientific Programme (PICS) Textile from Orient to the Mediterrenean (TexOrMed) with Marie-
louise nosch, she organized and published international conferences on textile terminologies and
wool economy.
Marie-Louise Nosch is a historian and director of the danish national research Foundation’s
centre for textile research (ctr) at the University of copenhagen and the national Museum of
denmark. she is a professor in ancient history. she was awarded her Phd by the University of
salzburg in 2000 with a thesis on Mycenaean textile administration in linear B but has subsequently
merged linear B studies with experimental archaeology and textile tool studies; as director of the
centre for textile research, she has launched research programmes combining archaeology and
natural sciences. she is author and co-author of works on Aegean late Bonze Age textile production
in the Mycenaean palace economies.
Stratis Papadopoulos received his Phd from the Aristotle University of thessaloniki. he has
worked extensively with the 18th ephorate of classical and Prehistoric Antiquities of Kavala (north
greece), in several excavation projects on thassos island. he has directed the excavations of the
early Bronze Age settlement at skala sotiros, the Final neolithic-early Bronze Age settlement
at Aghios Ioannis, the Early/Middle Bronze Age at Aghios Antonios, Potos and, finally, he has
cooperated in the excavation of neolithic limenaria. dr. Papadopoulos has taught prehistoric