ΗΝΑΜ inv. no Π 17976_a

This find comprises two freestanding groups of textiles originally deriving from the surface of the silver vase (proghous) ΗΝΑΜ inv. no Π 8569. They are mineralised due to the contact with the silver vase and are very degraded and fragile; they have been heavily treated with consolidant as part of their conservation treatment, which makes the macroscopic observation quite challenging. Stereoscopic study showed that there are two different textile qualities.

 The two fabrics had been preliminarily studied by the late Youlie Spantidaki and Dr Christophe Moulherat in 2007 but never published. During the project we have retrieved photographical material from this initial study from the archive of Youlie Spantidaki consisting of photographs of the fabrics, stereoscope pictures and pictures from the optical and scanning electron microscopes. This data is exploited here along with the new material from the current study.

 The first quality, ΗΝΑΜ inv. no Π 17976_a, is a very degraded fabric. One thread direction (here horizontal) has disappeared almost completely. The threads are flat, plied and S-twisted, while the single ones have almost no twist. They are very often highly twisted and appear to have opened. They show the characteristics of spliced threads, like in the majority of Bronze Age textiles. The fabric appears quite dense and the proximity of the conserved system’s threads to each other indicates that it is most probably a weft-faced tabby.