To The World, I Say This...

Information: Weaving in ancient history

General

Earliest scraps are woven from wool, dating about 5800 BC. Weaving is thought to be a part of growing civilizations. Few woven materials have actually survived because the material decays so quickly. Natural preservation, though, has given archeologists something to work off of. It is widely believed that the first “crafts” were probably basket making and the weaving of fibers. Dyes were developed to give aesthetic appeal to woven objects. Early looms, though crude, were all very much alike in construction. The first loom was thought to be a warp-weighted loom, or suspended loom, where one could tie the warp around the branches of a tree. The other end, near the ground, would be tied around stones. Wefts worked were pushed up towards the top of the warp, against gravity by the weaver’s hand or a comb. A shuttle was made later on to carry large amounts of weft through the warp. In time, a shed was made, which made weaving faster and easier. Weaving still was a slow and tedious task, and probably required more than two hands in some cases. Another kind of primitive loom was the horizontal ground loom. Pegs were driven into the ground and the warp was wound around them. Although this was probably easier to accomplish, it also meant the weaver was leaning over their work. This problem made the pit loom possible, where the pegs were driven into a pit and the weaver could sit comfortably while weaving. A portable loom was the frame loom, which is widely used today because of its simplicity of construction and its portability. There is also the backstrap loom: it was simpler to construct but not as easy to transport. One end of the loom was secured to a tree or pole while the other end was held in place by a cord held on the weaver’s waist. This created good tension when the weaver leaned back slightly. This loom was used with sheds and a heddle. Although evidence of weaving and spinning in ancient times is hard to find, anthropologists and archaeologists can look at works from later times as well as that from under-developed societies, since weaving and spinning haven’t changed much.

It is thought that people in the East started weaving and braiding plant material around 25 000 BC. With the domestication of animals (around 8000 BC), they started using wool and hair. Making the fibers was labour-intensive: it had to be collected, cleaned, untangled, spun, (sometimes dyed) and, finally, woven. Archaeologists can tell where the fibers came from by studying which way the fiber was spun and what kind and colour of animal it originally came from. Archaeologists can tell when a weaved cloth has been imported; usually by the different techniques used to spin that cloth compared to the contrary techniques used by the locals to that area. Archaeologists can also calculate a rough time period because of the genetics of the wool used. If the wool is dominantly white or grey, then the time it was made is later.

It is thought that Middle Eastern people started dyeing cloth around 3000 BC.  Woven clothes usually indicated social status in most cases. Four major fibers are present: wool, linen, silk, and cotton.

The most expensive dye was purple, made from a murex shell, and took almost 9000 snails to make one ounce of Tyrian purple dye.

Mesopotamia

The earliest Mesopotamian work is from 7000 BC. Mesopotamia, since it was the centre of commerce had had a large amount and variety of woven goods. Archaeologists have found Sumerian clay tablets (from around 2200 BC) containing information about the thriving weaving industry. Babylonians refined the craft and started the craft of embroidery, adding colored threads to their work. Although weaving was usually a household craft, weaving factories in Ur and Lagash (around 2100 BC) gave women and girls jobs, as well as making five grades of quality. After 1500 BC men were employed, but the craft still remained dominant in the female sex. Assyrians found cotton plants around 700 BC.

 

Egypt

The earliest evidence of a loom is from Egypt, dating from 4400 BC. In Egypt (19th century BC), a tomb was discovered with a model of people weaving with various tools and a wide range of garments. Sealed tombs have preserved fabrics from as far back as 5000 BC.  Pots were also found were a woven basket’s inside was covered with clay and left to bake. As the clay hardened, it shrunk, separating itself from the basket, but leaving the woven imprints behind.

The predominant fiber was linen and the weave was a simple plain-weave pattern. This pattern was dominantly used before 2500 BC. Wool was also used, but that was considered a lower-class fiber. Cotton was a middle-class fiber and was found in tombs, although only linen weavings were used for mummy wrappings. A Coptic Egypt textile fragment was found decorated with blue flowers, thought to be dating back to 5th or 7th century AD. Pictures in Egyptian tombs display women working at looms.

Egyptian priests weren’t allowed to wear wool, as it was thought to be crude and irreverent.

 

Greece

Warp-weighted looms were found as pictures on a Greek terra cotta vase (560 BC). In Greek mythology, it was believed that Athena wore garments she wove herself. Weaving was considered to be a high-status craft in Greece. Although the aristocratic women knew how to spin and weave, they had their servants do the hardest work for them.

Many Greek vases depict women spinning or weaving.

 

Rome

In some parts of Rome where the ground is muddy or boggy, mats and other objects were pressed into the ground to create a stable floor. This also preserved artifacts for archaeologists. Romans were considered to have had a complex and high-quality wardrobe. Women tended to wear a belt just under their bust to accent their femininity. Both genders tended to wear slack clothes that draped over their bodies, an example being the very popular toga, reaching up to 20 feet long.

Romans had their own kind of laundry service, the main ingredient of the wash being urine.