The Textile Records Project

Aiming for a Standardised Documentation of Ancient Textile Tools in Archaeology

Alina Iancu (RO)

Kalliope Sarri (GR)

Elisabeth Trinkl (AT)

Agata Ulanowska (PL)

 

The Textile Records project promotes standardised approaches to identifying, interpreting, and documenting lesser-known prehistoric and ancient textile implements across the Mediterranean and beyond. It originated from the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) Annual Meeting Regular Session Textile Records: Past, Present and Future of Textile-Related Artefacts Recording held in Rome (2024, Rome), organised by the ARTEX members Alina Iancu (RO, National Institute of Heritage, Bucharest) and Kalliope Sarri (GR, Independent Researcher).

This session united archaeologists and textile specialists to review historical recording practices and propose rigorous methodologies. These ensure textile tools integrate into general archaeological publications with consistency comparable to other artefact categories.

The project culminates in the volume Textile Records: Functional Analysis, Interpretation and Recording of Textile-Related Artefacts in the Mediterranean and Beyond (Ancient Textiles Series 44, Oxbow Books). Fourteen chapters by renown scholars synthesise current knowledge and provide practical protocols for common tools (e.g. loom weights, spindle whorls) and rarer ones (e.g. spindles, distaffs, weaving tablets, lead textile tools and spinning and weaving implements made of recycled pottery).

The volume emphasises interdisciplinary collaboration and draws on over two decades of research from the leading authorities in the field, such as Centre for Textile Research (CTR, Copenhagen), Purpureae Vestes symposia, and NESAT conferences. It addresses gaps in conventional recording by offering diagnostic criteria to reduce misidentification.

 

Key Contribution: The Textile Tools Record Sheet

The project's flagship resource is the Textile Tools Record Sheet, designed by Elisabeth Trinkl (AT) and revised by Agata Ulanowska (PL) in collaboration with Alina Iancu (RO) and Kalliope Sarri (GR).

This free, downloadable template enables systematic documentation of spinning and weaving implements made from diverse materials (ceramic, stone, bone, metal, etc.). It includes fields for:

  • Functional parameters (e.g. dimensions, weight)
  • Form
  • Production traces and intentional marks
  • Use-wear
  • State of preservation
  • Archaeological context etc.

The sheet enables quick, consistent recording by field archaeologists, curators, and conservators. It promotes accurate publication and comparative studies.

 

The Textile Records project equips anyone interested in textile implements with accessible tools to enhance visibility and understanding of ancient textile production. We encourage wide use of the Textile Tools Record Sheet to standardise future documentation, together with the Textile Records volume – a general guide of textile archaeology for archaeology specialists worlwide.  https://www.oxbowbooks.com/9798888572139/textile-records/

PDF icon Trinkl_Ulanowska_Iancu and Sarri_Textile Tools Record Sheet.pdf