Archaeological Evidence for Early Wool Exploitation in South East and Central Europe

Main objectives were focused on elucidating causal factors of major changes in neolithic textile technologies that might be associated with raw fibre material innovation. Investigation of the advent and spread of wool bearing sheep husbandry relied merely on indirect archaeological evidence of textile production. Functional analysis of textile tools was chosen as a starting point for examination of different fibre material use and procurement strategies. Results of a spindle-whorl analysis clarified the extent of exploitation of both sheep wool and flax plant in the contexts of investigated textile productions. Different strains of evidence, such as indications of climate change, altering subsistence strategies and herding patterns, suggest that animal exploitation, most probably including fibre use, was driven by local environmental conditions already during the 4th millennium BC. Finally, certain social aspects of fibre processing proposed intensification and early specialization of spinning craft already during the Late Eneolithic period in the investigated area.

This dissertation project was successfully completed within the research group A-4 The textile revolution of the Excellence Cluster 264 Topoi.

[siehe auch: https://www.topoi.org/project/a-4-1-1/]