Articles by Eva Andersson Strand
Viking, special issue 1: Viking War, 2021
Textile research has demonstrated that new types of textiles were introduced to Scandinavia in th... more Textile research has demonstrated that new types of textiles were introduced to Scandinavia in the latter part of the Scandinavian Iron Age (AD 700-900). The archaeology of the period displays an increased number of textile tools, and large concentrations of pit houses dedicated to textile production. This era also saw the introduction of sails to Scandinavia, which is one of the obvious reasons for textiles and textile production becoming such an important part of Viking Age society. However, hitherto the value of the textiles has mostly been ignored, and its impact rarely discussed in research. This article will attempt to remedy this and poses important questions, such as: what was the economic value of the textiles needed for travel and warfare, and what was the value of the textiles used on a journey? In the article, the 10 th century Ladby ship from Fyn in Denmark, is used to exemplify the demands and economic value of all textiles of one single ship, on one journey. I will use an interdisciplinary approach, including analyses of archaeological textiles; iconography; and early medieval texts. The aim of this novel method is to highlight the importance of textiles. It will also explore how journeys under sail and warfare contributed to the increased consumption of textiles.
Bulletin of Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities Vol 81, 2020
Textiles are essential for most societies. Thus, textile production, consumption, trade and excha... more Textiles are essential for most societies. Thus, textile production, consumption, trade and exchange give important perspectives when investigated and integrated into the general discussion on society. The inhabitants of Scandinavia in the period 750–1050, their society and life, their travels, trading and raids have been the focus of much research over several decades. Although it is known that textiles and textile production were significant, this valuable perspective is yet to be more integrated into the general discussion on Scandinavian Viking Age society and the early medieval Silk Roads. Textiles travel in many different ways, as clothes on travelers, as trading goods, as gifts, and loot from raids. Can we actually differentiate, for example between the trade of textiles, exchange of textiles as gifts, or the redistribution of textiles? The aim of this paper is thus to illuminate the complexity of travelling textiles and how this discussion can be integrated in a wider perspective.
Archaeological Textiles Review 62, 2020
ORIGINI, Prehistory and Protohistory of Ancient Civilisations XL, 2018
OXFORD JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 28(4), 2009
Loom weights are common finds in archaeological excavations in Europe and the Near East. They rep... more Loom weights are common finds in archaeological excavations in Europe and the Near East. They represent the only remains of warp-weightedvlooms. The function of the warp-weighted loom is well known from ethnographic studies. The function of loom weights, however, has not been investigated and cannot be deduced directly from ethnographical data, since loom weights in antiquity were very different from those used in the twentieth century AD. This paper reviews the functional elements of a loom weight. The weight and thickness of loom weights are established as the defining functional parameters for the operation of the warp-weighted loom. A series of systematic tests demonstrated that the weight of a loom weight defines what yarn to use and the thread density. The thickness of a loom weight, and thus the width of the row of loom weights hanging closely together, defines the width of a fabric and – together with the weight of the loom weight – the thread count and density of the fabric. This new knowledge provides the methodological framework for archaeologists to calculate textile production possibilities from any given loom weight, as long as the weight and thickness are preserved. Furthermore, it allows scholars to assess textile production on sites where no textiles are preserved.
Paléorient, vol. 38, 1-2, 2012
Knowledge of textile history including fibre, technology, tools etc, is essential and absolutely ... more Knowledge of textile history including fibre, technology, tools etc, is essential and absolutely necessary for our understanding of the past. Textile research has become an important field of archaeology and has an enormous potential, being able to tell us about economic, social, chronological, and cultural aspects of past societies. Due to poor preservation conditions, few textiles have survived in the Near East. However, the few existing fragments, in combination with other sources, provide evidence of a well-developed knowledge of how to use fibres for producing textiles. Furthermore, the analyses demonstrate that several types of plant and animal fibres were used in textile production. Flax fibres and sheep wool are considered to be the two most important textile fibres from Neolithic to modern times. Information gathered from the analysis of textiles suggests that it is highly plausible that the different stages of processing fibres were similar across ancient Eurasia even if it is, of course, important to consider that different climate zones will affect both the need for and access to fibres. Archaeobotanical and zoo ostelogical material also provide information on the use of textile fibres. Additionally, different types of installations (e.g. retting pits, workshops) and textile tools (e.g. mallets, spindles, looms) would have been used and even if many tools were made of perishable materials textile tools such as spindle whorls and loom weights are well known from archaeological contexts. Therefore, this paper will give a basic framework for textile production that will provide important insights into the procurement and processing of plant and animal fibres and briefly on spinning and weaving. This will be accomplished with information from archaeological and written sources used in combination with ethnography and experimental archaeology.
European Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 13(2), 2010
Textile research has become an important field of archaeology. Although the established analytica... more Textile research has become an important field of archaeology. Although the established analytical methods are often viewed as specialized, their integration with other interdisciplinary approaches allows us to deal with broader archaeological issues and provides the interpretational base for much more comprehensive investigation of textiles in ancient times. Analyses of fibres, dyes, archaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains, as well as palaeoenvironmental and geochemical investigations, provide information about available resources, while tool studies, experimental testing, and visual grouping are approaches that explore the technology and techniques. Together, these approaches can provide new knowledge about textile production and consumption and, thereby, about people and society in ancient times.
Textiles and Gender in Antiquity, from the Orient to the Mediterranean, 2020
PERSPECTIVE actualité en histoire de l’art. 2016.1, 2016
L’archéologie textile en Scandinavie repose sur une longue tradition ; elle bénéficie par ailleur... more L’archéologie textile en Scandinavie repose sur une longue tradition ; elle bénéficie par ailleurs d’une remarquable préservation des textiles anciens et s’appuie sur la pratique de l’archéologie expérimentale. Les recherches sont menées par des spécialistes dans divers domaines – archéologie, ethnologie, anthropologie, histoire de l’art, techniques de conservation – mais aussi par des personnes formées à l’artisanat du tissage. Afin de prendre toute la mesure des recherches sur les textiles menées en Scandinavie et de comprendre leur évolution, il est utile d’évoquer brièvement le contexte historique de leurs origines.
In M. Gleba and R. Laurito (eds), Il tessuto della vita: la produzione tessile nell’Italia antica. , 2015
Paléorient, vol. 35.1, 2009
Textile production is one of the oldest crafts and has played a crucial role in societies. Yet, v... more Textile production is one of the oldest crafts and has played a crucial role in societies. Yet, very few archaeological textiles are preserved and we must therefore rely on the remains of textile tools. In this paper, a group of scholars reviews two millennia of textile tools from Bronze Age Arslantepe. The size and weight of the tools inform about the textile production carried out at the site and illustrate how this production changes over time. Fortunate finds of textile remains at Arslantepe allow for an insight into the fibre and techniques. The remains of an early 3rd millennium goat hair textile of exceptional quality demonstrate the advanced state of the craft and the functionality of the textile tools.
Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies, 51. 171-174. , 2008
Tools and Textiles - Texts and Contests is an international and interdisciplinary
research progr... more Tools and Textiles - Texts and Contests is an international and interdisciplinary
research programme hosted by the Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for
Textile Research (CTR) in 2005-10. The aim is to investigate textile production in the
Aegean, Anatolia and in the Levant during the Bronze Age. The programme gathers a
wide range of specialists such as prehistoric archaeologists, classical archaeologists,
craftspeople, historians and philologists. Our reason for choosing this focus area is the
complexity and variety of sources: textile tools, inscriptions with extensive records on
production management, glyptic, frescoes and relief iconography in which various types
of dress occur, as well as remains of archaeological textiles.
In L. Larsson et al. (eds), Lund Archaeological Review 1995, 7-19. , 1996
Textile production and fur and skin preparation are seldom put into an archaeological context and... more Textile production and fur and skin preparation are seldom put into an archaeological context and discussed. An often-heard argument is that finds of textiles are few and that we know nothing about skin preparation. Textile finds are few compared to, say, iron fragments, flints and potsherds, but there are many implements such as needles, spindle whorls and loom weights.
What significance is ascribed to these handicrafts in prehistoric society? To see how these crafts are presented, I have examined eight surveys from Sweden, Denmark , Norway and Finland.
The examination reveals several interesting differences between, on the one hand, textiles and skin crafts and, on the other hand, other kinds of craft. Textile production and skin preparation are seldom discussed under headings about handicraft. Imported textiles are mentioned in passing but with no proper discussion. None of the authors has totally omitted to describe costumes from the Bronze Age and Iron Age, but one often gets the impression that dresses only are a complement to brooches and other ornaments.
Textile and skin crafts should be discussed on the same premises as other crafts and should be put into context. We must see the needs and possibilities of prehistoric people, not transfer our own values to them. We do not have to presume that the status of a craft in prehistoric time depends on the number of archaeological finds we have today.
Archaeologia Polona, 1996
In C. Breniquet, M. Tengberg, E. Andersson Strand and M.-L. Nosch (eds), Préhistoire des Textiles au Proche-Orient/ Prehistory of Textiles in the Near East. Paléorient. Pluridisciplinaire Review of Prehistory and Protohistory of Southwestern and Central Asia., 2012
Introduction to prehistoric textiles and textile production in the Near East.
Arkeologisk Tidsskrift Primitive Tider, 2009
Archaeology, textile research and theories - some reflections.
Archaeologia Polona, 1996
Archaeological Textiles Review ATR, 1995
It is often said that finds of textiles are few and that there is no knowledge of fur processing.... more It is often said that finds of textiles are few and that there is no knowledge of fur processing. But is this the truth? Certainly, the textile corpus is small compared, for example, to iron fragments, worked flint, and pottery shards. At the same time there are also many different textile implements like needles, spindle whorls, and loomweights that survive. Several prehistoric textile techniques like
spinning, weaving on a warp-weighted loom, and tablet weaving are traditions which have continued up to today.
Books by Eva Andersson Strand
Institute of Archaeology Report series No. 58. Lund, 1996
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Articles by Eva Andersson Strand
research programme hosted by the Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for
Textile Research (CTR) in 2005-10. The aim is to investigate textile production in the
Aegean, Anatolia and in the Levant during the Bronze Age. The programme gathers a
wide range of specialists such as prehistoric archaeologists, classical archaeologists,
craftspeople, historians and philologists. Our reason for choosing this focus area is the
complexity and variety of sources: textile tools, inscriptions with extensive records on
production management, glyptic, frescoes and relief iconography in which various types
of dress occur, as well as remains of archaeological textiles.
What significance is ascribed to these handicrafts in prehistoric society? To see how these crafts are presented, I have examined eight surveys from Sweden, Denmark , Norway and Finland.
The examination reveals several interesting differences between, on the one hand, textiles and skin crafts and, on the other hand, other kinds of craft. Textile production and skin preparation are seldom discussed under headings about handicraft. Imported textiles are mentioned in passing but with no proper discussion. None of the authors has totally omitted to describe costumes from the Bronze Age and Iron Age, but one often gets the impression that dresses only are a complement to brooches and other ornaments.
Textile and skin crafts should be discussed on the same premises as other crafts and should be put into context. We must see the needs and possibilities of prehistoric people, not transfer our own values to them. We do not have to presume that the status of a craft in prehistoric time depends on the number of archaeological finds we have today.
spinning, weaving on a warp-weighted loom, and tablet weaving are traditions which have continued up to today.
Books by Eva Andersson Strand
research programme hosted by the Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for
Textile Research (CTR) in 2005-10. The aim is to investigate textile production in the
Aegean, Anatolia and in the Levant during the Bronze Age. The programme gathers a
wide range of specialists such as prehistoric archaeologists, classical archaeologists,
craftspeople, historians and philologists. Our reason for choosing this focus area is the
complexity and variety of sources: textile tools, inscriptions with extensive records on
production management, glyptic, frescoes and relief iconography in which various types
of dress occur, as well as remains of archaeological textiles.
What significance is ascribed to these handicrafts in prehistoric society? To see how these crafts are presented, I have examined eight surveys from Sweden, Denmark , Norway and Finland.
The examination reveals several interesting differences between, on the one hand, textiles and skin crafts and, on the other hand, other kinds of craft. Textile production and skin preparation are seldom discussed under headings about handicraft. Imported textiles are mentioned in passing but with no proper discussion. None of the authors has totally omitted to describe costumes from the Bronze Age and Iron Age, but one often gets the impression that dresses only are a complement to brooches and other ornaments.
Textile and skin crafts should be discussed on the same premises as other crafts and should be put into context. We must see the needs and possibilities of prehistoric people, not transfer our own values to them. We do not have to presume that the status of a craft in prehistoric time depends on the number of archaeological finds we have today.
spinning, weaving on a warp-weighted loom, and tablet weaving are traditions which have continued up to today.
organisation in Birka and Hedeby will be compared and discussed. This will be done via studies of textiles and textile tools, and a model of various organisational modes presented. The results of tool analyses demonstrate that, the majority of the textiles from the two places could also have been produced there. The general assumption that most of the textiles were imported to Birka is questioned.
In: Arkeologi och förmedling. Rapport från arkeologidagarna 18-19 januari 1994
(MAIS) and the Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for Textile Research
(CTR) have made it possible to portray Ebla textile production. For weaving, the
ground loom and the two-beam loom were the preferred technologies; the spinning
tools, including spindle whorls, show gradual development and changes from the
Early Bronze Age to the Middle Bronze Age, with the introduction of new types of
tools and materials, reduced sizes and weights, likely indicating that thinner yarn and
finer textiles were becoming more abundant.
The beginning of textile manufacture is still vague, but can be traced back to the upper Palaeolithic. Important developments in textile technology, e.g. weaving, spinning with a spindle, introduction of wool, appeared in Europe and the Mediterranean throughout the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age. This book is devoted to the early textile production in Europe and the Mediterranean and aims to collect and investigate the combined evidence of textile and leather remains, tools, workplaces and textile iconography.
Andersson Strand, E, 2018. Early loom types in ancient societies in M. Siennicka, A. Ulanowska and L. Rahmstorf (eds) First Textiles, the beginnings of Textile Manufacture in Europe and the Mediterranean, Oxbow books, Ancient textile Series 32, Oxbow books. Oxford & Philadelphia. 17-29
https://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/first-textiles.html
Cutler, J. and Andersson Strand, E. 2018 Textile production at three Middle Minoan centres. In 11th International Cretological congress. ΠΕΠΡΑΓΜΕΝΑ ΙΑ΄΄ ΔΙΕΘΝΟΥΣ ΚΡΗΤΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΥ ΣΥΝΕΔΡΙΟΥ (Ρέθυμνο, 21-27 Οκτωβρίου 2011) ΤΟΜΟΣ Α1.3, ΤΜΗΜΑ ΑΡΧΑΙΟΛΟΓΙΚΟ, Σώμα – Κινήσεις – Αισθήσεις – Ένδυση, Τέχνη – Εικονογραφία, Σφραγιδο – γλυφία 41-57 Γραφή – Διοίκησηp. 41-57
edited by Eva Andersson Strand and Marie-Louise Nosch.
(Ancient textiles series; vol. 21)
In archaeology, the study of textiles is often relegated to the marginalised zone of specialist and specialised subject and lack of dialogue between textile researchers and scholars in other fields means that as a resource, textiles are not used to their full potential or integrated into the overall interpretation of a particular site or broader aspects of human activity.
Textiles and Textile Production in Europe is a major new survey that aims to redress this. Twenty-three chapters collect and systematise essential information on textiles and textile production from sixteen European countries, resulting in an up-to-date and detailed sourcebook and an easily accessible overview of the development of European textile technology and economy from prehistory to AD 400.
All chapters have an introduction, give the chronological and cultural background and an overview of the material in question organised chronologically and thematically. The sources of information used by the authors are primarily textiles and textile tools recovered from archaeological contexts. In addition, other evidence for the study of ancient textile production, ranging from iconography to written sources to palaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains are included. The introduction gives a summary on textile preservation, analytical techniques and production sequence that provides a background for the terminology and issues discussed in the various chapters. Extensively illustrated, with over 200 colour illustrations, maps, chronologies and index, this will be an essential sourcebook not just for textile researchers but also the wider archaeological community.
skills to produce traditional crafts, and the language and terminologies used to describe both the activities and the material outcomes. All too often in the twenty-first
century, it enters the consciousness of a society primarily through its preservation in museums; our workshop aimed to heighten awareness of the active but often invisible work that continues and is still developing today. The workshop brought together archaeologists, anthropologists, artists, designers, heritage workers, conservators,
business enterprise advocates and craftspeople to examine and better understand the varied approaches, uses, theoretical frameworks and the practical realities of craft
creativity, labour and organisation. Discussions explored the use of traditional textile crafts across time and space enabling exchange of knowledge and insights into the range of agendas which surround traditional textile craft and heritage frameworks.
While the workshop was focused on particular aspects of tangibility and intangibility, two related issues ran as underlying themes: the interaction between the past and
the present and the need for open and continued dialogue between the different interest groups.
https://www.traditionaltextilecraft.dk/e-publication
The document includes a list of content.
Velkommen til, or rather welcome to the first issue of the Danish Journal of Archaeology! After many months of behind-the-scenes negotiations and work, we are pleased and proud to be able to present the first of many exciting volumes on what is moving and shaking in the discipline in Denmark and beyond. We, the editors, are not the only ones who have noticed a distinct lack of English-language, peer-reviewed outlets for Danish archaeology. Luckily, the Danish Agency for Culture agreed with us, and with their generous pump-priming funding, we are able to launch this new publication.
Textile craft and textile design have always had an important social, cultural and economic impact on both individuals and societies.
The cultural heritage of textiles does not end with preservation and collection of costumes and other textiles in museums.
It includes living traditions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts, and the language and terminologies used to describe both the activities and the material outcomes.
Please see the webpage for blogs by Eva Andersson Strand
Sorte Muld lies relatively undisturbed in an agricultural landscape with its large central core, surrounded by many smaller satellite settlements. The rich and varied finds show that it was a center with far-reaching contacts.
Dedicated efforts by professional and amateur archaeologists over the past 25 years have significantly increased our knowledge of this unique site. The book is an introduction th the many spectacular finds and also outlines the emerging wider perspectives on an elite iron Age community.
This report is a part of the project: Tools and Textiles – Texts and Contexts (TTTC).
Overview of 97 objects, the majority dated to LM IB and mostly from workshops.
Link to the report: https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/toolsreports/mochlos_technical_textile_tools_preliminary__report.pdf
See more about the TTTC-project at https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/
This report is a part of the project: Tools and Textiles – Texts and Contexts (TTTC).
Link to the report: https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/toolsreports/phaistos_technical__textile_tools_report.pdf
See more about the TTTC-project at https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/
This report is a part of the project: Tools and Textiles – Texts and Contexts (TTTC).
Link to the report: https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/toolsreports/asine_technical_tools_report.pdf
See more about the TTTC-project at https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/
This report is a part of the project: Tools and Textiles – Texts and Contexts (TTTC).
Link to the report: https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/toolsreports/midea_technical_textile_tools_report.pdf
See more about the TTTC-project at https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/
This report is a part of the project: Tools and Textiles – Texts and Contexts (TTTC).
Link to the report: https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/toolsreports/tiryns_technical_textile_tools_report_.pdf
See more about the TTTC-project at https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/
This report is a part of the project: Tools and Textiles – Texts and Contexts (TTTC).
Link to the report: https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/toolsreports/technical_textile_tools_report_berbati.pdf
See more about the TTTC-project at https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/
This report is a part of the project: Tools and Textiles – Texts and Contexts (TTTC).
Link to the report: https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/toolsreports/technical_textile_tools_report_berbati.pdf
See more about the TTTC-project at https://ctr.hum.ku.dk/research-programmes-and-projects/previous-programmes-and-projects/tools/
As raw material movement affects the whole continent, we hope to attract scholars from north to south and from east to west. We would like to gather concrete examples of the three possible responses we outline above, but welcome other possibilities as well.
The Vikings fought for power, wealth, and land in many areas of the Northern hemisphere, and left traces of their activities from Canada in the West to the Caucasus in the East. In many parts of Europe visual, literary, and material culture contain influences of past Viking activities.
This volume offers new insights on Viking female warriors; local defense systems; a Danish-Obodrite attack on a Frankish fortress; deeply rooted traditions relating to weapon production; viking encampments in Atlantic Europe; rune carvers in campaign; textiles essential for sea journeys, and related warfare; the symbolic power of weapons; the roles of Rus’ captives and slave soldiers; as well as the relationship between Viking and Norse settlers, and the local Picts of the Western Isles.
Viking Special Volume 1 is co-funded by the Centre for Viking-Age Studies (ViS) and the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo.