Textile Crossroads: Exploring European Clothing, Identity, and Culture across Millennia. Anthology of COST Action “CA 19131 – EuroWeb”. Kerstin Droß-Krüpe, Louise Quillien, & Kalliope Sarri (eds.). Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2024
Since ancient times, garments served a wide range of purposes: Either functional, providing prot... more Since ancient times, garments served a wide range of purposes: Either functional, providing protection by covering the body, or symbolic, as an element of non-verbal communication and marker of identity.
In particular, this stimulates the development of specific characteristics in shape, decoration, or material composition, which generate distinctions among garments, as acknowledged by Roman jurists too.
These distinctions are determined by various factors. One important factor is the social meaning of clothing: There are garments for public life, garments expressing rank, garments suited for special professions, or garments intended for sacred/priestly rites reflecting particular religious symbols. And, of course, clothes that differ between men and women or stages of life. Social meaning subdivides clothing
within a society, with legal implications. Another factor is “fashion”; tastes that change over time, and that clothing adapts to. New norms, socioeconomic conditions, innovative techniques, and foreign influences introduce changes in fashion and transitions in clothing. Fashion subdivides clothing on a chronological or regional level.
Looking backwards in history, changes to clothing are difficult to detect and to date. It is even more challenging to trace the factors causing these changes. This article will present four case studies of clothing in
transition: From Prehistory, the Roman Age, the Early Christian Era, and the Early Byzantine Period. Across these four periods, it can be observed that both similar and dissimilar factors shaped clothing transitions. The sources analyzed are written evidence, Roman legal
sources, iconographic sources, and material finds.
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In particular, this stimulates the development of specific characteristics in shape, decoration, or material composition, which generate distinctions among garments, as acknowledged by Roman jurists too.
These distinctions are determined by various factors. One important factor is the social meaning of clothing: There are garments for public life, garments expressing rank, garments suited for special professions, or garments intended for sacred/priestly rites reflecting particular religious symbols. And, of course, clothes that differ between men and women or stages of life. Social meaning subdivides clothing
within a society, with legal implications. Another factor is “fashion”; tastes that change over time, and that clothing adapts to. New norms, socioeconomic conditions, innovative techniques, and foreign influences introduce changes in fashion and transitions in clothing. Fashion subdivides clothing on a chronological or regional level.
Looking backwards in history, changes to clothing are difficult to detect and to date. It is even more challenging to trace the factors causing these changes. This article will present four case studies of clothing in
transition: From Prehistory, the Roman Age, the Early Christian Era, and the Early Byzantine Period. Across these four periods, it can be observed that both similar and dissimilar factors shaped clothing transitions. The sources analyzed are written evidence, Roman legal
sources, iconographic sources, and material finds.
islet located in the innermost part of Moudros bay on Lemnos) was excavated under the direction of Chr. Boulotis and the auspices of the Academy of Athens from 1994 to 2016, with intermissions. Located in the north part of the islet, it provides an undisturbed sequence from the Early Bronze Age to the early Late Bronze Age, with sporadic fnds of the early Mycenaean period (LH II–LH III A1) and a substantial phase of occupation corresponding to the developed Late Bronze Age (LH III A2–LH III B periods). Given the equation ‘presence of loom weights = use of the warp-weighted loom’, this paper discusses the introduction of the vertical (warp-weighted) loom in Koukonisi in the advanced or at the close of the Middle Bronze Age, when the earliest loom weights are detected in the settlement. Nearly 40 loom weights, discoid in their vast majority, either with a grooved or fattened top, can be assigned to the prominent South Aegean, and particularly Cretan type of loom weights, which indicates the adoption of Cretan weaving technology and probably refects increased specialization in the textile industry. In any case, the suggested technological transmission presupposes a degree of human mobility within the Aegean during the Bronze Age. In search of a predecessor type of loom in Koukonisi, I argue that the most probable option would have been the horizontal (ground-) loom, although no direct evidence for its existence has so far been found in the settlement. Nevertheless, finds from the Middle Bronze Age Greek mainland and the wider Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean makes this suggestion reasonable, while the practice of other weaving techniques cannot be excluded.
Πλάι στο θεματολόγιο και την εικονογραφία των πλουμιστών αυτών ενδυμάτων ιδιαίτερη έμφαση θα δοθεί στο κατά πόσον αυτά παρέχουν ενδείξεις συσχετισμού με συγκεκριμένα τελετουργικά δρώμενα στα οποία συμμετέχουν γυναίκες. Επιπλέον, κατά πόσον προσδίδουν συγκεκριμένες ιδιότητες στις γυναικείες μορφές που τα φορούν, πέραν της προφανούς εκλέπτυνσης και πολυτέλειας που αποπνέουν, με όρους σημειολογικούς και ανθρωπολογικούς.
Ritual offering of cloth and/ or clothing to the gods, encountered in many parts of the ancient Greek world should be included among the cults which “may have blended to a large extent” in the Aegean, since it is attested already in the 2nd millennium BCE. Thanks to several representations focused on the “sacred dress” in various artistic media (seals, frescoes etc.), and despite their uneven distribution, this religious practice can be detected unceasingly from the late Middle until the end of the Late Bronze Age, with the earliest certain attestation coming from MM III Knossos palace (the famous pair of miniature faience robes from the Temple Repositories). Following the Minoans, the Mycenaeans adopted, and in all probability adapted, the aforementioned ritual; Linear B tablets from Knossos and Pylos provide evidence for textile offering to both male (Enosidaon, Poseidon) and female deities (da-pu2-ri-to-jo po-ti-ni-ja, po-ti-ni-ja, pe-re-*82).
The lack of pertinent evidence for about four centuries, after the collapse of the Mycenaean world until the late 8th century BCE, could be spanned by the well-known Homeric passage (Iliad, 6.288-304), referring to Hecuba’s offering of an elaborated peplos to the goddess Athena? And if so, are we entitled to support the continuity of this particular ritual from the 2nd to the 1st millennium BCE?
Στόχος της παρούσας ανακοίνωσης είναι η εξέταση της σχετικής εικονογραφίας, και πιο συγκεκριμένα των ενδυματικών τύπων που συναντώνται σε παραστάσεις της υπό εξέταση περιόδου, τόσο μνημειακές όσο και μικρογραφικές. Με δεδομένη τη μακροχρόνια ώσμωση των Μυκηναίων με τον μινωικό πολιτισμό από τον 17ο αι. π.Χ. και εξής, πώς μπορούν τα ενδύματα, ως κατεξοχήν πολιτισμικά σήματα, να τεκμηριώσουν την παρουσία των Μυκηναίων στην Κρήτη; Ποια η συνεισφορά τους στη διερεύνηση της ανατροπής (ή του βαθμού αυτής) στις σχέσεις μεταξύ των γηγενών και των επήλυδων Μυκηναίων μετά τον 15ο αι. π.Χ.;
Although the ritual exaltation of women constitutes a long-standing tradition in the Aegean Bronze Age archaeology (from the late 19th/early 20th century onwards), it was only after the 1980s that scholars started to refocus attention on the religious roles of men as well, since the latter had been assumed as the prime motivating forces and agents of cultural process -whether in politics or production- during that era.
Considering Barthes’ statement, this paper examines two unisex types of
clothing, intimately connected with cult activities in the Aegean 2nd millennium BC: the so called “hide skirt” and the long robe with vertical band. The “hide skirt”, a garment with deliberately primitive appearance (as indicates the characteristic “pointed tail” on the bottom of its lateral side) has long tradition in Minoan Crete from Middle Bronze Age onwards and doubtful presence in the Greek Mainland; on the other hand, the long robe with vertical band, has a Mycenaean origin in all probability, and it seems to be widespread in Crete from the 15th century BC onwards, during the Mycenaean occupation of the island.
Aiming at “reweaving the fabric of ancient societies”, I will attempt to challengethe misconceptions caused by a long tradition of androcentric paradigms, as well as to re-appreciate the varied manifestations of ancient gender, beyond modern stereotypes of “femininity” and “masculinity,” and the roles of both sexes in the prehistoric Aegean.
My oral presentation will aim at focusing on the bodies and the gestures of participants in ritual processions and the pictorial formula that enables the viewers to identify them. What messages convey the bodies of the worshippers in line (female, male, or even fantastic creatures, as the so-called Minoan Genii) carrying on their stretched out hands cult equipment and objects of various kinds intended as gifts for a deity or her impersonator? What is the role of clothing which covers their bodies? Are there formalities (or informalities) in the Aegean 2nd millennium B.C. ritual processions or they just comply with a universal norm of ritual processions?
In particular, this stimulates the development of specific characteristics in shape, decoration, or material composition, which generate distinctions among garments, as acknowledged by Roman jurists too.
These distinctions are determined by various factors. One important factor is the social meaning of clothing: There are garments for public life, garments expressing rank, garments suited for special professions, or garments intended for sacred/priestly rites reflecting particular religious symbols. And, of course, clothes that differ between men and women or stages of life. Social meaning subdivides clothing
within a society, with legal implications. Another factor is “fashion”; tastes that change over time, and that clothing adapts to. New norms, socioeconomic conditions, innovative techniques, and foreign influences introduce changes in fashion and transitions in clothing. Fashion subdivides clothing on a chronological or regional level.
Looking backwards in history, changes to clothing are difficult to detect and to date. It is even more challenging to trace the factors causing these changes. This article will present four case studies of clothing in
transition: From Prehistory, the Roman Age, the Early Christian Era, and the Early Byzantine Period. Across these four periods, it can be observed that both similar and dissimilar factors shaped clothing transitions. The sources analyzed are written evidence, Roman legal
sources, iconographic sources, and material finds.
islet located in the innermost part of Moudros bay on Lemnos) was excavated under the direction of Chr. Boulotis and the auspices of the Academy of Athens from 1994 to 2016, with intermissions. Located in the north part of the islet, it provides an undisturbed sequence from the Early Bronze Age to the early Late Bronze Age, with sporadic fnds of the early Mycenaean period (LH II–LH III A1) and a substantial phase of occupation corresponding to the developed Late Bronze Age (LH III A2–LH III B periods). Given the equation ‘presence of loom weights = use of the warp-weighted loom’, this paper discusses the introduction of the vertical (warp-weighted) loom in Koukonisi in the advanced or at the close of the Middle Bronze Age, when the earliest loom weights are detected in the settlement. Nearly 40 loom weights, discoid in their vast majority, either with a grooved or fattened top, can be assigned to the prominent South Aegean, and particularly Cretan type of loom weights, which indicates the adoption of Cretan weaving technology and probably refects increased specialization in the textile industry. In any case, the suggested technological transmission presupposes a degree of human mobility within the Aegean during the Bronze Age. In search of a predecessor type of loom in Koukonisi, I argue that the most probable option would have been the horizontal (ground-) loom, although no direct evidence for its existence has so far been found in the settlement. Nevertheless, finds from the Middle Bronze Age Greek mainland and the wider Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean makes this suggestion reasonable, while the practice of other weaving techniques cannot be excluded.
Πλάι στο θεματολόγιο και την εικονογραφία των πλουμιστών αυτών ενδυμάτων ιδιαίτερη έμφαση θα δοθεί στο κατά πόσον αυτά παρέχουν ενδείξεις συσχετισμού με συγκεκριμένα τελετουργικά δρώμενα στα οποία συμμετέχουν γυναίκες. Επιπλέον, κατά πόσον προσδίδουν συγκεκριμένες ιδιότητες στις γυναικείες μορφές που τα φορούν, πέραν της προφανούς εκλέπτυνσης και πολυτέλειας που αποπνέουν, με όρους σημειολογικούς και ανθρωπολογικούς.
Ritual offering of cloth and/ or clothing to the gods, encountered in many parts of the ancient Greek world should be included among the cults which “may have blended to a large extent” in the Aegean, since it is attested already in the 2nd millennium BCE. Thanks to several representations focused on the “sacred dress” in various artistic media (seals, frescoes etc.), and despite their uneven distribution, this religious practice can be detected unceasingly from the late Middle until the end of the Late Bronze Age, with the earliest certain attestation coming from MM III Knossos palace (the famous pair of miniature faience robes from the Temple Repositories). Following the Minoans, the Mycenaeans adopted, and in all probability adapted, the aforementioned ritual; Linear B tablets from Knossos and Pylos provide evidence for textile offering to both male (Enosidaon, Poseidon) and female deities (da-pu2-ri-to-jo po-ti-ni-ja, po-ti-ni-ja, pe-re-*82).
The lack of pertinent evidence for about four centuries, after the collapse of the Mycenaean world until the late 8th century BCE, could be spanned by the well-known Homeric passage (Iliad, 6.288-304), referring to Hecuba’s offering of an elaborated peplos to the goddess Athena? And if so, are we entitled to support the continuity of this particular ritual from the 2nd to the 1st millennium BCE?
Στόχος της παρούσας ανακοίνωσης είναι η εξέταση της σχετικής εικονογραφίας, και πιο συγκεκριμένα των ενδυματικών τύπων που συναντώνται σε παραστάσεις της υπό εξέταση περιόδου, τόσο μνημειακές όσο και μικρογραφικές. Με δεδομένη τη μακροχρόνια ώσμωση των Μυκηναίων με τον μινωικό πολιτισμό από τον 17ο αι. π.Χ. και εξής, πώς μπορούν τα ενδύματα, ως κατεξοχήν πολιτισμικά σήματα, να τεκμηριώσουν την παρουσία των Μυκηναίων στην Κρήτη; Ποια η συνεισφορά τους στη διερεύνηση της ανατροπής (ή του βαθμού αυτής) στις σχέσεις μεταξύ των γηγενών και των επήλυδων Μυκηναίων μετά τον 15ο αι. π.Χ.;
Although the ritual exaltation of women constitutes a long-standing tradition in the Aegean Bronze Age archaeology (from the late 19th/early 20th century onwards), it was only after the 1980s that scholars started to refocus attention on the religious roles of men as well, since the latter had been assumed as the prime motivating forces and agents of cultural process -whether in politics or production- during that era.
Considering Barthes’ statement, this paper examines two unisex types of
clothing, intimately connected with cult activities in the Aegean 2nd millennium BC: the so called “hide skirt” and the long robe with vertical band. The “hide skirt”, a garment with deliberately primitive appearance (as indicates the characteristic “pointed tail” on the bottom of its lateral side) has long tradition in Minoan Crete from Middle Bronze Age onwards and doubtful presence in the Greek Mainland; on the other hand, the long robe with vertical band, has a Mycenaean origin in all probability, and it seems to be widespread in Crete from the 15th century BC onwards, during the Mycenaean occupation of the island.
Aiming at “reweaving the fabric of ancient societies”, I will attempt to challengethe misconceptions caused by a long tradition of androcentric paradigms, as well as to re-appreciate the varied manifestations of ancient gender, beyond modern stereotypes of “femininity” and “masculinity,” and the roles of both sexes in the prehistoric Aegean.
My oral presentation will aim at focusing on the bodies and the gestures of participants in ritual processions and the pictorial formula that enables the viewers to identify them. What messages convey the bodies of the worshippers in line (female, male, or even fantastic creatures, as the so-called Minoan Genii) carrying on their stretched out hands cult equipment and objects of various kinds intended as gifts for a deity or her impersonator? What is the role of clothing which covers their bodies? Are there formalities (or informalities) in the Aegean 2nd millennium B.C. ritual processions or they just comply with a universal norm of ritual processions?
Nevertheless, it seems that we disregard the fact that the warp-weighted loom is present in the North-Eastern Aegean already from the Early Bronze Age, as indicated by the loom-weights found in a number of settlements such as Thermi on Lesbos, Emporio on Chios, Heraion on Samos as well as at Troy. May these belong to an earlier, Anatolian tradition of warp-weighted loom technology? Can we discern a diffusion pattern? What succeeded the initial phase of use of the warp-weighted loom in the area: abandonment and readoption?
This paper aims at discussing the introduction of weaving technologies in the North-Eastern Aegean during the Bronze Age, either from the East (Western Anatolia) or from the ‘West’ (Southern Aegean, Crete), with emphasis on Lemnos, and more specifically on the three main excavated sites of the island, Myrina, Poliochni and Koukonisi.
Despite the problems of ambiguity arisen, I aim at discussing the types of cloth and clothing detected in Aegean Late Bronze Age religious iconography and their role in specific rituals, with reference to their possible correlation with terms testified on Linear B tablets.
The complete volume is available on: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/texroads/