| Abstract: |
The work covers the period 57 BC to c AD 400 in the provinces of Britain, N Gaul and Germany; it is based on extant cloth fragments (many previously unrecorded) and evidence is also adduced from implements, literary sources and modern primitive communities. The chapters treat textile fibres (wool, silk, linen, hemp, cotton and other fibres like rabbit hair and bast); preparation for spinning of these fibres; use of the distaff, spindle and bobbin; production of gold thread. Individual preserved textiles are then considered, including circumstances of preservation, weaves, colour effects, borders and sewing. Non-woven fabrics (interlaced and felt) are also treated. Looms used include the warp-weighted vertical, the two-beam vertical, band looms, the raised horizontal loom and associated implements. Dyeing and finishing ar-? treated, and appended are tables giving the evidence and a glossary of terms. |
