{"id":470,"date":"2024-09-16T14:50:16","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T12:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bcdss-recette.mazedia.fr\/abhaengig-von-den-traditionen-spinngewohnheiten-im-antiken-mittelmeerraum-und-europa\/"},"modified":"2024-10-21T16:38:58","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T14:38:58","slug":"abhaengig-von-den-traditionen-spinngewohnheiten-im-antiken-mittelmeerraum-und-europa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/abhaengig-von-den-traditionen-spinngewohnheiten-im-antiken-mittelmeerraum-und-europa\/","title":{"rendered":"Depending on Traditions: Spinning Habits in the Ancient Mediterranean and Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Petra Linscheid
BCDSS Investigator<\/h4>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Antique textile production had different spinning traditions: in Europe the threads were twisted clockwise in the \u201cZ\u201d direction, while in the Middle East they were spun anticlockwise in the \u201cS\u201d direction. These spinning traditions were rooted in the different raw materials that were used and they became the norm over the centuries. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Threads are the basic components of textiles. A thread consists of bundled fibers, which are connected by twisting to form a continuous thread \u2013 the spinning process. For spinning, there are just two possibilities: either the fibers are twisted clockwise or anticlockwise. In textile analysis, these two directions are named Z or S, according to the direction of the central line in the two letters (fig. 1 + 2). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fig. 1: The spin directions Z and S correspond to the direction in which the spindle is rotating (drawing: Petra Linscheid, n. d.). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fig. 2: In antiquity, a hand spindle was used, consisting of a wooden rod and a spindle whorl from clay or bone. In archaeological contexts, only the whorls survived. Spindle whorls from Asia Minor, Bronze Age, Akademisches Kunstmuseum der Universit\u00e4t Bonn, inv. 428a, c, e, f, 899, 2323 (photo: J. Schubert, 2024).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What seems to be a triviality marks instead a great difference in textile history. In antiquity, threads in Europe and the northern Mediterranean were spun in the Z-direction, while the Middle East spun in the S-direction. The reason for this difference has been debated in textile research. The consistency of this difference in spin direction rules out that it is a coincidence or that there is a connection with left- and right-handedness.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scholars now widely agree that the spin directions are rooted in the principal fibers used. Linen was the main fiber in the Middle East, and since linen fibers have a natural tendency for an S-twist, anticlockwise spinning was practiced in that area. The Northern Mediterranean and Europe mainly used wool fibers so they preferred the clockwise Z-spin. This spinning habit became the norm and was transferred to other raw materials as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The different spin directions characterized Middle-Eastern and European textiles until the medieval period. They demonstrate how strongly traditions shape textile production (fig. 3 \u2013 5). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fig. 3: Geographical distribution of Z- and S- spin\u00a0(map: P. Linscheid, n. d.).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fig. 4: Detail from an early medieval textile with Z-spun threads from the Rhineland, LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Inv. 1937.114  (photo: LVR-Landesmuseum, J. Vogel 2019). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fig. 5: Detail from an Early Byzantine linen textile with S-spun threads from Egypt, F. J. D\u00f6lger-Institut der Universit\u00e4t Bonn, inv. 165 (photo: F. J. D\u00f6lger-Institut 2024). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Information on the Objects in Figure 2<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Inv. 428a: spindle whorl, decorated in relief, clay, H: 1.8 cm, D: 2.6 cm, dating: 2500\u20132000 BC, findspot: Bos\u00f6y\u00fck (Turkey), object history: gift from Alfred K\u00f6rte 1895\/96.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inv. 428c: Spindle whorl, decorated with incisions, clay, H: 2.8 cm, D: 4.1 cm, dating: 2500\u20132000 BC, findspot: Bos\u00f6y\u00fck (Turkey), object history: gift from Alfred K\u00f6rte 1895\/96. Literature: Shown in Koerte, AM 24, 1899 Taf. 1.5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inv. 428e: Spindle whorl, clay, H: 2.6 cm, D: 3.8 cm, dating: 2500\u20132000 BC, findspot: Bos\u00f6y\u00fck (Turkey), object history: gift from Alfred K\u00f6rte 1895\/96.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inv. 428f: Spindle whorl, clay, H: 2.7 cm, D: 4.3 cm, dating: 2500\u20132000 BC, findspot: Bos\u00f6y\u00fck (Turkey), object history: gift from Alfred K\u00f6rte 1895\/96.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inv. 899: Spindle whorl, decorated with incisions, clay, H: 1.7 cm, D: 3.5 cm, dating: 2500 BC, findspot: Yortan (Turkey).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inv. 2323: Spindle whorl, decorated with incisions, clay, H: 1.9 cm, D: 2.9 cm, dating: Bronze Age, findspot: Asia Minor (?).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Further Reading<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bentz, Martin, 2008. Rasna. Die Etrusker. Ausstellungskatalog Bonn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gleba, Margarita, and Ulla Mannering, 2012. Textile Preservation, Analysis and Technology, in: Margarita Gleba and Ulla Mannering (eds.), Textiles and Textile Production in Europe from Prehistory to AD 400 (Ancient Textiles Series 11), Oxbow Books, Oxford, pp. 1\u201324. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

J\u00f8rgensen, Lise Bender, 2018. Textiles from Mons Claudianus, \u2018Abu Sha\u2019ar and Other Roman Sites in the Eastern Desert, in: Jean-Pierre Brun et al. (eds), The Eastern Desert of Egypt During the Greco-Roman Period: Archaeological Reports, Coll\u00e8ge de France, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4000\/books.cdf.5234<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rumscheid, F. and N. Schr\u00f6der, 2014. Ferne Zeit. Zeugnisse fr\u00fchgriechischer Kunst im Akademischen Kunstmuseum Bonn. Ausstellungskatalog Bonn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wild, John Peter, 2008. Textile Production, in: John Peter Oleson (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Engineering and Technology in the Classical World, Oxford University Press, pp. 465\u2013482, especially p. 470. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Petra LinscheidBCDSS Investigator Antique textile production had different spinning traditions: in Europe the threads were twisted clockwise in the \u201cZ\u201d direction, while in the Middle East they were spun anticlockwise in the \u201cS\u201d direction. These spinning traditions were rooted in the different raw materials that were used and they became the norm over the centuries.   […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"themenfeld":[43,45],"class_list":["post-470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized-en","themenfeld-strong-asymmetrical-dependencies","themenfeld-spindle-loom-needle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2533,"href":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470\/revisions\/2533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470"},{"taxonomy":"themenfeld","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fabrics-of-dependency.uni-bonn.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/themenfeld?post=470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}