CONTEXTBOOKS

Hoskins, essential reading for researchers for many years and are compelling reads for anyone interested in the subject.

To browse through the book is a pleasure, to read it cover-to-cover is enthralling. Over a hundred fabrics are illustrated in excellent colour photographs as well as related paintings, sculptures and archaeological sites. Diagrams of weave structures and looms, and drawings of textile motifs and patterns supplement the text. Figure numbers in the margins relate the discussion in the text to the visual image. Warp direction, an important distinction, is added to some of the illustrations. Some chapters have annotated footnotes and textile analysis details. There is a glossary of Chinese and Japanese textile terms and an extensive bibliography. Missing from the book are a chronology of the political dynasties and maps showing the significant cities and excavation sites. A grasp of the geography, the location of different cultural groups, and a time-line are essential to understanding the centuries of cultural interchange over that vast and varied territory. An index would have been helpful for cross-referencing essays by different authors that discuss the same topic. Many types of textiles are mentioned in the book: tabbies, twills, satins, damasks, and tapestries, but the most amazing are the warp-faced and weft-faced compound silk tabbies and twills with their incredibly complex compositions of figures, flowers, and animals. To weave even a single motif in these structures is a numerical challenge that makes the most difficult Sudoko seem simple. Every different weft-wise pattern row requires an accurate lifting and lowering of every warp end in perfect order and sequence. If warp-faced, each end must be in perfect colour order, or in a taqueté (weft-faced compound tabby) or samite (weft-faced compound twill) each weft. The precise pre-planning for lifting and lowering warp ends based on the design, the process of preparing the loom and producing the cloth, testify to the sophistication of these artisans. The type of loom used during this period of time is still the subject of conjecture and debate among textile scholars. Contemporary weavers have the advantage of being able to weave these ancient structures on looms that interface with a computer. I enjoy reading the journals of travellers to ancient sites, mysteries, books about archaeology, art history and, of course, about fabulous fabrics. All my favourites are found in this intelligent interdisciplinary book on Central Asian textiles. It is a wonderful reference that prompts re-reading, further reading and research.

Left:Male mummy discovered at Yingpan, 2-5th century AD .

© Urumqi, Xinjiang

Institute of Archaelogy

RIGGISBERGER BERICHTE 13 TEXTILES IN SITU Their Find Spots in Egypt and Neighbouring Countries in the First Millennium CE Edited by Sabine Schrenk with contributions by Dominique Bénazeth, Antoine De Moor, Hero Granger Taylor, Béatrice Huber, Nobuko Kajitani, John Peter Wild et al Abegg-Stiftung, Riggisberg, Switzerland, 2006 Paperback, 256pp., 118 illustrations ISBN 3-905014-29-7 Price SF 85.

Review by Nancy Arthur Hoskins

Fascinating, how a mere fragment of an ancient frayed fabric, found in situ, can reveal a wealth of information when carefully collected and documented. Shrouds, socks, tunics, veils, hairnets, quotidian clothing and countless other fabrics can contribute to an understanding of cultures that once were. Textiles In Situ comprises sixteen papers from an 2001 Abegg-Stiftung colloquium with two additional papers. Sabine Schrenk’s introduction stresses the significance of the information revealed when a fabric’s find spot is known. Discovery and even disciplined documentation of a textile in situ is just the first step in discovering the true place of origin, time of manufacture, and date of use. Archaeological context, carbon-dating, dye-stuffs, fibre, spin, fabric style, structure and function, literary and art historical evidence – all contribute to the how, why, and when a piece of cloth happened to be in a particular place. As grave goods or discards from daily life, fabrics are examined for clues in a region that extends up the Nile River to Nubia, from the Egyptian desert to the Red Sea, the Dead Sea and beyond. A resist-dyed cotton with rosettes discovered in an Egyptian port may have been made in India. The silk samite trim from an Antinoopolis riding coat may be compared with a fragment from a Silk Road site, a European church treasury, or China. Diamond twills from a Late Roman Red Sea site remind the researcher of parallels from Palmyra and Birka. Some authors report on their work at excavation sites, others delve into archives in libraries and museums. The textiles recovered from sites recently excavated benefit from modern methodology, while thousands have little documentation. Others re-evaluate fabric pieces, field notes, and photos from museum collections acquired at the turn of the 20th century. The topics are divided into three sections. The first eight papers discuss textiles found in various funerary contexts. Textiles with a domestic or workplace context are included in the second section of papers; their resting place may be purely accidental or incidental. Bits of fabric no longer useful were left, lost, or tossed into the rubbish heap. Even these when recorded with archaeological context can suggest the type of population that once lived and worked in the area. The final three papers are presented as single issues. A group of textiles found in an Isis Temple: small tied bundles of milk-soaked scraps, woven miniatures, and skillfully designed geometric tapestries. The author asks whether these were part of the sacred paraphernalia of the temple. Another paper suggests that sprang caps were only worn by women. The Iranian textiles in the last paper are regrettably unavailable for study due to the current political situation. The text is enhanced with sixty colour photos, forty-two black and white photos, eleven line drawings, nine maps, and twenty-one charts and tables. The maps are especially important in locating the area under discussion in the different chapters. Whether you are a collector, connoisseur, craftsman, or armchair archaeologist you will find this book filled with interesting stories about the clothing and customs of the first millennium. For the serious scholar interested in researching ancient textiles the book will serve as an oft read and re-read source of information. This text is another important contribution to textile history by Abegg-Stiftung.

HALI ISSUE 151 181