TEXTILES

TEXTILES
   The use of plant fibers for ropes, nets, baskets, and coverings is very ancient and attested in the ancient Near East from the early Paleolithic and the Neolithic periods (Ohalo, Jericho, and Nahal Hemar) onward, in regions where the dry desert climate preserved the fragile evidence. In the historical periods of Mesopotamia, the most important source for textiles was wool, followed by linen. No actual cloth has survived, only imprints left on clay or carbonized remains. However, the textual record is quite rich: apart from technical vocabulary for all the stages of production, from shearing and carding of the wool, to the spinning of thread and the weaving, dyeing, and embroidering, which is carefully enumerated in lexical lists, there are administrative records detailing expenditures and outputs. Its is clear from the archivesdiscovered in large temple or palace institutions that the manufacture of textiles was an important part of the economy and that a large workforce, mainly of women, was engaged in this process. Furthermore, the letters exchanged between merchants stationed in the trade colony of Kultepe (Kanesh) and their backers in Assur demonstrate the commercial value placed on Mesopotamian cloth.
   Different qualities and finishes, even a taste for fashion, were catered for in the production of these luxury fabrics, which were exchanged against silver. In later periods too, Babyloniantextiles were an important export commodity. Pictorial records, such as the wall paintingsat Mari,show multicolored garments, and the reliefs of the Assyrian palaces demonstrate the intricate embroideries of royal garments.
   See also CRAFTS.

Historical Dictionary of Mesopotamia. . 2012.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • textiles — [plural] ► the industry that makes cloth in large quantities: »The 132,000 new jobs do not come from agriculture, shipbuilding, or textiles. Main Entry: ↑textile …   Financial and business terms

  • Textiles — Textile Pour les articles homonymes, voir Textile (homonymie). « la fileuse » (œuvre de William …   Wikipédia en Français

  • TEXTILES — In the biblical period garments were produced from both animal and vegetable materials. The most common garments were made of animal furs, especially of the less expensive sheepskin and goatskin, though rarer skins were also used. The pelts were… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • TEXTILES —    The evidence for textiles is both indirect, through technological apparatuses for weaving such as spindle whorls and loom weights and through artistic representation of dress, and increasingly direct, through the exceptional survival of the… …   Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans

  • TEXTILES TECHNIQUES — Derniers nés de la grande famille des textiles, les textiles techniques sont désormais utilisés dans de multiples domaines. À l’image des industries nouvelles en cours de structuration, une définition et une appréhension homogènes et communément… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • TEXTILES (INDUSTRIES) — Les hommes se sont habillés depuis la plus haute antiquité. La recherche dans la présentation vestimentaire s’est traduite aussi bien dans la manière de concevoir des vêtements que dans le choix du matériau fibreux pour les réaliser. Ceintures,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • TEXTILES (FIBRES) — Les fibres textiles sont les matières premières servant à l’élaboration d’étoffes, initialement destinées à la confection de vêtements, de linge de maison et de tissus d’ameublement, de bâches et toiles de tente, de voiles, etc. Parallèlement ont …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Textiles, tissus d'ameublement — ● Textiles, tissus d ameublement ceux destinés à décorer des appartements, à recouvrir des sièges …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Textiles Gestalten — Der Werkunterricht, auch Werkerziehung, auch kurz als Werken bezeichnet, einschließlich dem Textilunterricht, ist ein Schulfach, in dem den Schülern handwerkliche Fähigkeiten beigebracht werden. Den Werkunterricht gibt es so zum Beispiel in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Textiles Werken — Der Werkunterricht, auch Werkerziehung, auch kurz als Werken bezeichnet, einschließlich dem Textilunterricht, ist ein Schulfach, in dem den Schülern handwerkliche Fähigkeiten beigebracht werden. Den Werkunterricht gibt es so zum Beispiel in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”