Clothing Bodies: Weaving and Textiles in the Aegean Bronze Age

Clothing Bodies Weaving and Textiles in the Aegean Bronze Age Series: Elements in The Aegean Bronze Age Author: Sophia Vakirtzi, Hellenic Ministry of Culture, HOCRED (ODAP) Published: March 2026 Availability: Available Format: Paperback ISBN: 9781009679107This Element explores the textile crafts and cloth cultures of the Aegean Bronze Age, focusing on two categories of archaeological evidence: excavated textiles (or their imprints) and tools used for yarn production and weaving. Together, these types of material testimonies offer complementary perspectives on a textile history that spans 2,000 years. A gro wing body of evidence suggests that the Aegean was home to communities of skilled textile craftspeople who produced cloth ranging from plain and coarse to fine and elaborate. As regional connectivity increased throughout the Bronze Age, interactions in textile craft flourished. In time, textile production became central to the political economies that emerged in the Aegean region. The expertise of Bronze Age Aegean spinners and weavers is vividly illustrated through the material record of their tools, while even the smallest excavated cloth fragments stand as fragile, yet enduring testaments to textile craftsmanship.Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Background to Aegean textiles research 3. Weaving the threads of Aegean bronze age textile histories 4. Overview of Aegean bronze age textile craft 5. Conclusion References.