Weaving techniques

Archaeological finds of textile remains give an insight into ancient weaving techniques, including fabrics from the Hallstatt salt mine dating from between 1500 and 300 BC, or finds of gold threads such as those from Ebreichsdorf in Lower Austria, ca. 1100 BC. They are scientifically analysed and reworked in the Prehistoric Department of the Natural History Museum in order to understand the manufacturing technique and the amount of work involved. Especially the board weavings and fabric with gold thread decoration are the subject of research here. Instructions for reworking Iron Age fabrics from Hallstatt have been posted on Pinterest and Instagram (#tabletweavehallstatt; #archaeologicaltextileoftheday). Hundreds of people have already participated with their own weaving suggestions, creative implementations, and also corrections to the scientifically published weaving instructions.This has resulted in a new research question on the production of the bands, which was developed together with a Finnish weaver from this community and presented at a conference (including publication).

Who can participate?

People who are interested in old weaving techniques and who weave themselves.
The project is also about re-enactment and do-it-yourself!

Period

You can participate in the project at any time.

Where can you participate?

The weavings can be shared on the Pinterest wall on weaving techniques and on Instagram under #tabletweavehallstatt; #archaeologicaltextileoftheday.

How can you participate?

You can make your own creative woven objects inspired by the textiles from Hallstatt! You can get inspiration and share your weaving objects on Pinterest or Instagram (see above). 

Contact

Dr. Karina Grömer
Natural History Museum Vienna
Prehistoric Department
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