Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World

when they wanted the food rather than producing and stor- ing the food themselves. Keeping grains dry was very important. Th e H ...

peratures, bright sunshine, and low humidity were needed, so drying was not always possible. Accordingly, the ancient Eu- ropean ...

the grain was stored loose in a granary or in one room of a larger storage building. Some of the earliest buildings solely dedic ...

this process preserve the fruit itself, but the alcohol in the fer- mented drinks (or the acid in the vinegar) could be used to ...

be completely coated in a thick layer of potter’s clay and left to dry. A quick wash would remove the clay from the fruits later ...

order to carry water from streams to homes. Th ey built large pots with tight-fi tting lids that could hold grain and protect it ...

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1073  ▶ textiles and needlework introduction Archaeologists assume that the earliest clothing worn by humans were animal skins. ...

AFRICA BY SUSAN COOKSEY Textiles produced on the continent of Africa in the period between 10,000 b.c.e. and 400 c.e. were made ...

trees” of Upper Egypt and Ethiopia, and that of the ruler Ezana of Axum, who spoke of destroying crops of corn and cotton in the ...

were perpendicular to the ground, with the warp strung onto beams attached to a frame. Longitudinal threads, or warp threads, we ...

warp and seems to have been performed only on horizontal loom–made textiles. It may have served to prevent the weft from gatheri ...

murex shell, found off the coasts of Lebanon and Syria. Th is region became known as Phoenicia, or “purple land,” and its towns ...

and was oft en taken by traders to cover their expenses. In- deed, in the later Han Dynasty it is known that some people paid th ...

ply by rolling the fi bers between one’s palm and upper leg. Tw i s t i n g fi bers around a short rod or stick was the simplest ...

to be fi nished on a larger loom. In card weaving a number of cards (of wood, bone, or ivory), a bit larger than standard playin ...

the spindle increased the pull on the fi bers, turning them into workable threads. Th e use of the loom is a topic of Homeric ep ...

Wool was then brushed with a spiked brush to raise the nap, which was then sheared to produce a smooth cloth. Diff erent parts o ...

into them; instead, the pattern was painted on the surface. During this period ornamentation was an important part of textile pr ...

from burials, no one can be sure what use these items had in everyday life. See also adornment; agriculture; art; clothing and f ...