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The first plant bast fibre technology: a new method for identifying splicing in archaeological textiles

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Harris, Susanna 

Abstract

Recent research into plant bast fibre technology points to a Neolithic European tradition of working fibres into threads by splicing, rather than draft spinning. The major issue now is the ability of textile specialists and archaeobotanists to distinguish the technology of splicing from draft spun fibres. This paper defines the major types of splicing and proposes a method to observe, identify and interpret spliced thread technology. The identification of spliced yarns is evaluated through the examination of textiles from Europe, Egypt and the Near East. Through the application of this method we propose that the switch from splicing to draft spinning plant fibres occurred much later than previously thought. The ramifications of this shift in plant processing have profound implications for understanding the chaîne opératoire of this ubiquitous and time-consuming technology, which have to be factored into social and economic reconstructions of the past.

Description

Keywords

Plant bast fibre, Splicing, Spinning, Technology, SEM, Identification method

Journal Title

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1866-9565
1866-9565

Volume Title

Publisher

Springer Nature
Sponsorship
European Research Council (312603)
ERC