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Editorial It cannot be long before a Newsletter, to the computer-literate generation, will mean something that the reader finds on the Table of Co:n.te:n.ts Internet. ATN will not be succumbing yet to the power of the www; but its power is Editorial 1 there to harness constructively nonetheless. Features 2 As surfers know, there is good, bad and 6000 Year Old Textiles from the Cave indifferent to be found on the Internet, and of the Warrior, Judaean Desert the good can be very useful indeed. So the Fibre Analysis for the 21st Century I: Editor is urging readers to A TN to reveal - The Possibilities and Limitations of with a critique if appropriate their Chemical Analysis of Wool Remains favourite textile-related websites, for the Reports 12 benefit of the rest of us. ATN will list the Didymoi (Khashm al-Minayh), Egypte: www addresses which you can suggest as a Saison 1999: Les Textiles regular feature under Source Materials. Reviews 13 Notes on the 18th Meeting on Dyes The Newsletter tries to remain catholic in its and History and Archaeology tastes and content, reaching out across the 18th CIETA Meeting in Bern whole spectrum of matters related to Source Materials 14 archaeological textiles. Michael Ryder has Recent Publications been an indefatigable contributor on matters Recent Theses biological and wool-orientated. Yet both News in Brief 15 author and Editorial Board recognised that Ancient Peruvian Textiles the information and concepts presented in Egyptian Linen from Salt-Affected his article in this number might make Sites difficult reading for non-scientists (like the The Clolhworkers' Centre for World Editor). It was felt, however, that the Textiles article's potential implications for the analysis of archaeological textiles greatly outweighed any such objection. ATN plans to stay at the cutting-edge of research ! Readers may note that this number of ATN is somewhat slimmer than the last. The stock of material awaiting publication under all the headings in the Table of Contents opposite is beginning to diminish, to the Editor's disquiet. Please do not be hesistant in submitting your contributions in French, German or English. If you do not have anything at present suitable to be a Feature or a Report, Source Materials and News in Brief are important aspects of ATNs cover which constantly needs your support and practical input ! The Editor acknowledges with gratitude the Cover: Reconstruction of the folded help of Felicity Wild and Jane Batcheller m 'wrapping sheet' from the Cave of the the preparation of this number. Warrior near Jericho (early 4th millennium BCE). John Peter Wild Ancient Textile Unit Dept of Art History & Archaeology University of Manchester Manchester M13 9PL GB ATN 29, Autumn 1999 1 FEATURES goods were recently on display at the American Museum of Natural History in 6000 Year Old Textiles from the Cave of the New York. Warrior, Judean Desert Textile A - the 'wrapping sheet' The Cave of the Warrior was discovered in Lower Wadi Makkukh, 3.5 km NW of Textile A (Fig.5) is a large rectangular linen modern Jericho. It was excavated in 1993 in sheet with warp fringes at both ends and the framework of an extensive operation with a weft fringe at one side. It is carried out by the Israel Antiquities approximately 7m long and 2m wide. The Authority in search of more Dead Sea textile has not been dyed, but due to old scrolls. age, ochre staining and body liquids from the deceased, its colour ranges from off­ Three archaeological levels were white through beige and yellowish brown to distinguished in the cave. The finds under dark reddish brown. The pattern of the discussion are from the middle level, C14- stains as well as of the missing areas is a dated to the early 4th millennium BCE (the mirror image, as in an ink blot. These Late Chalcolithic Period). The finds comprise details suggested to the researchers that the the skeleton and grave goods of the so­ cloth had been folded over twice for the called Warrior. burial, forming a four layered 'envelope' that contained the corpse. The four layers The skeleton was wrapped in a large bundle had been sewn together, as is evident from of cloth (Fig. 1) and placed on a plaited reed a line of small holes in each of the layers. mat. With the wrappings were a pair of leather sandals, a long flint knife, a wooden The textile was designed and manufactured bow, ritually broken, two arrows, a wooden as a complete sheet. The background bowl, a coiled basket, and a stick. All items structure is a plain weave tabby. The were heavily stained with red ochre, a threads are plied in a final S-twist, 15-20 substance much used in mortuary rituals threads per cm in the warp, 11-13 in the since prehistoric times. weft ( c.3500 warp ends in the complete sheet). The weft is not continuous and The bundle of cloth was found to consist of comprises c.8400 picks (4200 cut threads, three archaeologically complete (from end to each the length of two picks). The four edges end and from selvedge to selvedge) well are marked by characteristic features in dark made linen textiles. The outer gigantic coloured threads. The woven parts at the 'wrapping sheet' (Textile A), had been folded extreme ends are basically in 'extended over twice to form an 'envelope' inside tabby' (2/2 basket weave), and are decorated which the body of the deceased was put with blackish bands in single, paired and (Fig. 2). Two smaller textiles, a medium triple thread combinations. These decorative sizedrectangle (Textile B), and a long and parts are further enhanced by long fringes narrow sash-like cloth (Textile C) were (Fig. 6). Beyond the decorative area, in the found within the wrapping sheet. inward direction there is a warp crossing followed by a weave change to the plain The stiff and brittle textiles underwent a weave tabby (111) of the background long and challenging conservation process (Fig. 7). One selvedge is 'corded'- triple by an IAA conservation specialist (Fig. 3). black warp ends are worked together at this Following the process of spreading and edge. The opposite side has a more complex cleaning, for permanent storage and in design: a dark stripe runs parallel to the anticipation of eventual display, the textiles edge. Pairs of weft threads loop around the were reinforced between layers of silk outermost warp threads in quasi-buttonhole crepeline and stabiltex. A plexiglass stitch and extend to form a weft fringe cylinder and special mounting devices were along this edge. constructed to hold the textiles (Fig.4). A number of tests and analyses were The dark colorant in the threads of the performed by various scientists to identify decorative bands, the stripe and the selvedge raw materials and colorants. A full report cord is a sticky organic material to which on the material has been published (Schick soluble iron salt may have been added. The et al. 1998). The textiles and other grave material has not been identified. It could 2 ATN 29, Autumn 1999 ATN 29, Autumn 1999 3 Fig.J Cleaned 'wrapping sheet' placed between layers of silk crepeline and stabiltex. Fig.4 'Wrapping sheet' rolled in plexiglass cylinder set in special container. 4 ATN 29, Autumn 1999 Fig.S 'Wrapping sheet' spread out after conservation. Fig. 6 'Wrapping sheet': decorative bands and fringe. ATN 29, Autumn 1999 5 have been a vegetal resin or gum, bitumen, liquid asphalt or proteinic material such as Discussion collagen. This 1ssue needs further examination. The textile assemblage from the Cave of the Warrior is unique, both from the Textile B technological point of view as well as from its cultural and social aspects. The origin of A smaller ( c.l.40 x 0.90m), generally the textiles is as yet undetermined: the darker, independent textile (Fig. 8) was possibility that the raw material or the found inside the 'wrapping sheet'. It is also finished specimens were brought from some archaeologically complete. One end is looped distance cannot be ruled out. Although a and the opposite end terminates in a long relatively large number of fourth-millennium fringe of some 54 evenly spaced tassels. The textile fragments have been retrieved from dark band decoration at both ends echoes Judean Desert sites, they do not seem that of Textile A, but the structure is more relevant to the understanding of the simple. The blackish dye of the threads of Warrior's textile assemblage. Significant the bands are probably the same as in parallels are at present non-existent. There Textile A. The fringed selvedge had been are certain similarities with Egyptian formed in much the same way as in Textile textiles, but there is no absolute conformity A. S-twisted linen threads form the web in in measurements or detail. plain-weave tabby structure, 12-20 tpc in the warp, 10-12 in the weft. The cloth is The extremely well preserved textiles from very dark in appearance, with many stains the Cave of the Warrior are of outstanding and smears of red ochre. The function of importance as they provide us with clear this cloth in the context of the burial is not details regarding shape, size, design, clear. It might have been a part of the structure, decoration, colour/dye, stitching covermg shroud that had wrapped the and the finishing touches to cloth, many of deceased, or a dress item, a kilt of some which were hitherto unfamiliar. kind, placed on or next to him. The size and quality of the textiles indicate Textile C - the 'sash' that a skilled spinning and weaving establishment was engaged in the production of the cloth.

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