can be found in the neo-Assyrian palaces of Khorsabad and Nineveh where stone
relief sculpture, as examined in detail by several scholars (see Dalley 1991 ; Barrelet
1977 ), may represent carpet in a form recognizable to us today (see Albenda 1978)
(Figure 9. 5 ).
The study of the decoration of these stones also suggests a design relationship with
the famous Pazyryk carpet from Siberia (Rudenko 1970 ) which contained concentric
square registers of animals and four-pointed star design on the outer border (see also
the four-pointed star motif in residence frescoes at Khorasabad). Many of the design
elements found in Babylonian cloth are shared with other components of material
culture, such as chariots and furniture and architectural details.
Clothing is an extension of the self. It is protection, but has also had a protective
element of a supernatural nature as well, and this was especially true in ancient
Babylon. From textual references, we can begin to see how these design elements
carried symbolic meaning and apotropaic power. For example, the petalled rosette
was applied to royal and sacred garments (in the form of sheet metal, often of gold)
to ward off evil (Oppenheim 1949 ). This practice is seen in vestigial form today in
liturgical garments. Special types of weave and special forms of thread were reserved
for sacred garments and cloth.
OTHER DECORATIVE TECHNIQUESColor – dyes and dyeingTexts reveal several types of colorant used for the manufacture of cloth garments.
Principally blue (woad), red (kermes and madder) and purple (Purpuraor Murexsnail).^1
This is the dominant color scheme in Mesopotamian textiles, though greens and
yellows were also known. Not surprisingly, we see this dominant color scheme also
reflected in some of the preserved Assyrian wall frescos at Nimrud and Til Barsip;
as well as the Kassite wall paintings of Dur-Kurigalzu. We have perhaps a chance
to see how techniques and craftsmanship converge with aesthetic; as blue also is a
dominant color in the new art of faience; and faience beadwork was an important
aspect of manufacture for royal and sacred garments as well as accoutrements for
chariotry (see Dalley 2000 ).
When evaluating these different features in tandem, we can begin to gain a sense
of how the social world was built, and how cloth and dress participated in building
the structure of social forms.
THE IDEA OF THE INDIVIDUALDress is evidence for social complexity. Types of dress, from sacred to royal to servile,
developed in ancient Babylon as an index of social station. At some point in Babylonian
history, around the time of Hammurabi, the idea of the individual emerged, and the
expression of this can also be found in dress. Fringed garments were a notable feature
of a person’s appearance. A person’s garment featured a fringe that was exclusive
enough to be used as a mark of individuality. Fringe became a signature, quite
literally, as it was used sometimes in place of a person’s seal to mark documents and
goods (Dalley 1991 ).
— Irene Good —