Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World

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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