Wool was then brushed with a spiked brush to raise the nap,
which was then sheared to produce a smooth cloth.
Diff erent parts of the empire produced or imported cloth
suitable to local tastes and climates. In northern provinces
like Britain cloth was woven in checked patterns. Other ar-
eas, such as Egypt and Syria, favored plain garments deco-
rated with bands or medallions of tapestry or embroidery
dyed in various colors. In Italy braid was used to decorate
clothing. Pliny the Elder credited the Phrygians with invent-
ing embroidery, although it seems all they did was master the
use of metallic thread.
Th e two most expensive dyes of the ancient world were
saff ron and Tyrian purple. Saff ron was made from the stig-
mas of the saff ron crocus. Tyrian purple was made from the
secretions of the murex, a shellfi sh. Th ousands of murex went
into producing just a few drops of the dye; fortunately, only a
drop was needed to dye a whole tunic. Also known as imperial
purple, Tyrian purple has a dark reddish quality. Although
the Phoenicians also produced a bluish purple from shellfi sh
secretions, it was the redder shade that was more popular, es-
pecially in Roman times. Orchil was a kind of lichen that pro-
duced a bluish purple. Madder, woad, indigo, and saffl ower
produced red, blue, and yellow dyes. In later Roman times the
Egyptians used a technique for created multicolored scenes
by repeatedly dyeing a fabric. Each time a diff erent color was
applied, the rest of the cloth was covered in clay or wax to
prevent it from absorbing color.
Tapestry hangings were a specialty of the Alexandrian
weavers and oft en depicted landscapes or mythological
scenes. Embroidery, which the Romans called “painting with
the needle,” was also used to create the multicolored and
oft en elaborate scenes. One of the masterpieces of ancient
embroidery dates to the fourth century c.e. and is part of a
series depicting the seasons of the year. Its resemblance to the
scenes on mosaics in other parts of the empire proves that
artists of all types used pattern books, whether working in
paint, stone, or thread.
THE AMERICAS
BY JULIA MARTA CLAPP
It is diffi cult to paint a broad picture about textile and nee-
dlework production in the ancient Americas. Th e inherently
delicate and vulnerable construction of such materials has
caused ancient textiles to disintegrate over time, leaving ar-
chaeologists with little to study. Th e conclusions at which
they arrive can oft en be based upon a combination of two
factors. First, archaeologists can make hypotheses based
on any remaining textile artifacts that have been preserved
from the ancient era. Such items are rare, much more so in
certain areas than others. (For example, civilizations that
existed in particularly damp climates are less likely to have
preserved textiles than are civilizations in dry regions.)
Second, archaeologists may examine evidence from more
recent centuries and look at enduring traditions that may
provide clues about the past. Any conclusions based on such
observations must, however, be considered nothing more
than speculation.
Among the Americas, South America arguably has the
richest history of textile production. No other part of the
hemisphere has left such ample or rich artifacts in this fi eld.
In general, the area that has yielded the most abundant arti-
facts is the northwest coast, or modern-day Peru.
Th e oldest textiles have been found in Huaca Prieta and
are over 4,000 years old. As in North America, the majority
of textiles have been excavated from gravesites that contain
bodies and artifacts that are at times astonishingly well pre-
served. Also, similarly to the native North Americans, an-
cient South Americans wrapped their dead in layers of fabric,
of which the inner layers have survived the best.
It is important to remember that as with some other an-
cient cultures, the ancient Peruvians did not have a system of
writing. However, the absence of a writing system does not
mean that they were unable to record thoughts or ideas. Al-
though today we think of literacy in terms of reading and
writing, some ancient cultures used other means to express
themselves. In fact, weaving is an extraordinarily complex
process that requires the ability to carry out intricate, ad-
vanced planning and to work with a mathematical sensibility.
We oft en think of textiles as being created by weaving
pieces of dyed yarn together. Th e weaver devises in advance a
color scheme, which eventually becomes a pattern. In the an-
cient Americas yarn was spun from either plant (for example,
cotton) or animal (for example, wool) fi bers. Th e warp con-
sists of the strands over and under which the weft is woven.
In the Chavín culture (ca. 900–ca. 200 b.c.e.), however, there
is also evidence of textiles that did not have a pattern woven
A warp-weighted loom consists of two upright
beams connected at the top by a bar, called the cloth
bar, from which the warp threads are hung. Another
beam one-third of the height of the uprights from
the ground and parallel to the cloth beam is called
the shed rod and helps to keep the threads separate.
The warp threads are gathered and tied at the bot-
tom to a cord strung through a warp weight. The
two-beam vertical loom is very similar to the warp-
weighted loom, except the warp threads are not
weighted but anchored to a beam at the bottom of
the loom. The horizontal loom is known to have ex-
isted only because of the types of weaving, such as
damask, that were being done. No archaeological re-
mains, pictures, or textual references to them seem
to have survived. This is a complex loom suitable for
professionals.
LOOMS
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