This project undertaken in Centre for Textile Research at SAXO Institute at the University of Copenhagen (2013-2017) provided new insights into the development and importance of textile production techniques in Greece in the Early Bronze Age (EBA). During this period basic cultural features of the later Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations were determined, yet the impact of textile production in thi
s process has never been investigated. Despite the fact that EBA Greece developed significant links with Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean, their impact on textile production and technical development throughout the 3rd Millennium BC is yet to be studied. A systematic analysis of textile tools, their first appearance and distribution patterns were the project’s point of departure. Full sets of EBA textile tools were tested experimentally at the Centre of Textile Research in Copenhagen and in the University of Warsaw, and evaluated with an international team of textile researchers in order to understand the manufacturing techniques and to identify the types of threads used (animal vs. the objectives were:
To examine the rate of development of textile techniques
To elucidate the role of textiles in the long debated cultural change at the end of the EBA
To integrate theoretical and practical studies on textile tools in order to develop new ways of interpreting archaeological data
To address social and economic issues by analysing contextual evidence from settlements with implications to functional zones and the status of textile production. This project was carried out through collaboration with numerous sites and research institutions in Greece, Poland, Germany and Denmark. The expected major accomplishments were:
A far greater understanding of the development of textile production in EBA Greece and the impact of its contacts with Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean
The evaluation of analytical methods and experiments to understand the function of the textile tools
The integration of these new results into a more robust archaeological reconstruction of EBA Greece.
