Archeology of textile industry. An introduction with elements of experimental archeology 2800-PB-DOS
The participants will be introduced to textile archaeology and textile technology through traditional academic lectures to be combined with experience archaeology and hands-on learning by Do It Yourself (DIY) activities.The participants will practise several textile techniques gaining some tacit and kinaesthetic knowledge of textile technology. The participants will learn about the concept of the chaîne opératoire as a methodological framework for textile research. They will learn about its consecutive sequences from cultivation of vegetable fibres and breeding woolly animals, through fibre processing, spinning, dying, felting, weaving and finally finishing textiles and cloths – decorating, sewing and tailoring. They will learn what information may be revealed from archaeological textiles and textile tools using macroscopic and microscopic analyses. They will familiarise with the basic textile terminology. They will acquire basic skills in microscopy of textiles and textile tools using Dino-Lite microscopes.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Learning outcomes
Students will broaden their knowledge of textile archaeology, experimental archaeology and documentation techniques. They will acquire some tacit knowledge of textile technology which, in turn, allows them personal evaluation of individual textile tasks. They will learn the appropriate terminology to describe textiles, textile technology, techniques and tools. They will develop their evaluation and critical observation skills and skill of cooperation. Their hands-on experience and observations will contribute to textile experimental archaeology research.
Assessment criteria
Students are expected to DIY a piece of textile and to document their work using the provided documentation card system. The documentation cards should be submitted for evaluation. There is a test at the end of the course. Additionally, volunteers are welcome to present papers on chosen aspects of textile archaeology.
Bibliography
ANDERSSON STRAND E., M.-L. NOSCH eds (2015) Tools, Textiles and Contexts. Investigating Textile Production in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age, Ancient Textiles Series 21, Oxford & Philadelphia.
BANCK BURGESS J., L.M. RÖSCH ed., Bound and Stitched Up ! Grass, Bast, Bark – Stone Age All-Rounders, Archäologische Informationen aus Baden-Württemberg Heft 82.
CHMIELEWSKI T.J. (2009) Po nitce do kłębka. O przędzalnictwie i tkactwie młodszej epoki kamienia w Europie Środkowej, Warszawa.
GILLIS C., M-L. NOSCH eds (2007) Ancient Textiles. Production, Craft and Society, Ancient Textiles Series 1, Oxford.
GLEBA M., U. MANNERING eds (2012) Textiles and Textile Production in Europe: From Prehistory to AD 400, Ancient Textile Series 12, Oxford & Oakville.
MICHAŁOWSKA M. (2006), Leksykon włókiennictwa, Warszawa.
MAIK J. (2012) Włókiennictwo kultury wielbarskiej, Łódź.
ULANOWSKA A. (2012) Odtwarzanie dawnych technik tkackich w Instytucie Archeologii Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego poprzez archeologię doświadczalną, in: P. Militello, M. Camera eds., Ricerche e attività del corso internazionalizzato di archeologia. Catania, Varsavia, Konya 2009-2012, Syndesmoi 3, Palermo, 239-262.
ULANOWSKA A. (2016) Towards methodological principles for experience textile archaeology. Experimental approach to the Aegean Bronze Age textile techniques in the Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw, Prilozi Instituta za arheologiju u Zagrebu 33, 317-339.
ULANOWSKA A. (2016) Włókiennictwo Grecji epoki brązu w (akademickiej) praktyce. Nowe refleksje nad zastosowaniem archeologii doświadczalnej w nauczaniu technologii dawnego włókiennictwa, in: M. Figueira, K. Żebrowska eds., International Course in Archaeology. “Papers in Mediterranean Archaeology”, Syndesmoi 5, Catania, 215-234.
ULANOWSKA A. 2020, A chaîne opératoire as a framework for investigating prehistoric textile production: Production of clay textile tools in Middle Bronze Age Crete as a ‘troublesome’ case study, Archaeological Review from Cambridge 35.1, 212–226.
ULANOWSKA A. 2020, Looms in spaces. The warp-weighted loom in the Aegean Bronze Age and the modern experience of weaving, Bulletin de l’Association pour la Promotion des Rescherches sur l’Âge du Bronze (APRAB) 18, 146–152.
SIENNICKA M., L. RAHMSTORF, A. ULANOWSKA eds (2018) First Textiles, The Beginnings of Textile Manufacture in Europe and the Mediterranean. Proceedings of the EAA Session Held in Istanbul (2014) and the “First Textiles” Conference in Copenhagen (2015), Ancient Textiles Series 32, Oxford & Philadephia.
ULANOWSKA A., M. SIENNICKA eds (2018) Światowit LV (2017): Tradition and Innovation in Textile Technology in Bronze Age Europe and the Mediterranean
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: