Karina Grömer,
The Art of Prehistoric Textile Making.
The Development of Craft Traditions and Clothing in Central Europe
(Veröffentlichungen der Prähistorischen Abteilung 5)
Wien 2016
ISBN 978-3-902421-94-4
533 pp., num. colour and b/w-figs., 27 x 19 cm; hardcover
Traditional textile crafts such as spinning, weaving, and sewing have
accompanied humanity since the Stone Age. Until a few hundred years ago,
textile crafts occupied a huge portion of the daily workload in
addition to the acquisition of food.
Textile crafts, and weaving in
particular, have contributed much to the overall development of
technology. Looms were invented in the Neolithic and represent the first
‘machines’ of human history. Essential goods for daily use, especially
clothing, as well as utilitarian textiles, ostentatious objects for
display and luxury items were produced with this craft.
Textiles were
valuable, as can be inferred from the recycling of fabrics. Worn out
garments were used as binders, packaging and even as a dressing material
in prehistoric times. Clothing, however, not only offered protection
against the elements – even in prehistoric times textiles and jewellery
were more than just simply means to dress – they are an essential
feature of every culture. In the past as well as today, clothing
represents an important non‐verbal means of communication and conveys
aspects of identity about the wearer such as age, gender, social status
and group memberships.
This book is dedicated to historians, costume
designers, archaeologists, and anyone interested in handcraft and
artisanship. The temporal and geographical scope of this investigation
is the Neolithic to Late Iron Age of Central Europe, which is the period
before the introduction of writing. The book ends with the Roman
occupation in Central Europe.
Austrian finds and sites as well as those of neighbouring countries are the primary focus.
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