Lievelet: A Bronze Age Loom by sandra46
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Description
The pile dwelling at the Revine lakes is simply one out of the merely 1000 known archaeological pile-dwelling sites in six countries around the Alps (Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia). The remains of prehistoric pile-dwelling settlements dating from 5000 to 500 BC which are situated under water, on lake shores, along rivers or in wetland, offered exceptional conservation conditions for organic remains such as wood, textiles, plant remains, and other perishable items. Numerous artefacts from fabrics and netting to baskets dating from the period between 3900 and 800 BC have survived in the archaeological layers of late Neolithic and Bronze Age wetland settlements. Although no such remains were found here, they found a lot of these perishable remains in other pile dwellings, such as those at Ledro, Trentino (http://www.palafitteledro.it/dp%20Palafitte%20ING.pdf ) Plentiful finds of loom weights, as well as spindles, sometimes decorated with dot-patterns, carding combs made of antler, bone needles and even strips of woven material are all evidence of this activity at Ledro. The cloth was woven from pure linen thread, the width of the weft varying considerably, and was found in strips, in superimposed squares (perhaps for patchworks) and in rolls, one of which could only have been a girdle. The most interesting aspect of this find is that the outer warps, into which the weft is woven, form a continuous unbroken thread, presupposing the use of small looms.
While the belt or horizontal loom was in use for a very long time, the development of the upright loom as the (reconstructed) one in the photo allowed the weaver greater technological freedom. The upright loom was commonly used in antiquity, traces of them being known in Europe from the middle Bronze Age onwards.A perforated stone or ceramic block weighing around 1kg that was used for stretching the threads forming the warp or the weft on a loom. In many cases the loomweights and pin-beaters are all the physical evidence that remains for weaving at an excavated settlement.
Thanks for your kind comments.
Comments (46)
Kyms_Cave
Very interesting read, thank you..and really like the image..
erlandpil
outstanding capture erland
anmes
The info is interesting but your treatment of this capture is magnificent
mickeyrony
C'est un très joli métier de tissage à droite ma Belle . Superbe lumière ambiante . Belle et bonne prise de vue ((5++))
AidanaWillowRaven
I have a thing for looms ... for the old ways in general. I greatly admire those that use such amazing inventions.
jac204
Iteresting history and nice capture.
dochtersions
Fascinating, Sandra. Photo as story!
tennesseecowgirl
beautiful work, and history!!
junge1
Fantastic capture and post work Sandra and exceptional detailed information.
Rhanagaz
Great capture and fine info, Sandra!! A piece of early invention and human creativity. :o)
Djavad
un plus grand contrast...
icerian
Great !
carlx
Wonderful photography and mood!!!
danapommet
A fantastic reconstruction Sandra and photo. An amazing loom and I have seen that type of ladder in Alaska.
FredNunes
Very well done!
anahata.c
It's so hard to pick representative samples from so many packed series. And this isn't necessarily the most central or representative from this series: But I picked it because I loved the photo itself, and because it brought to mind many things about weaving, cloth and clothing, in history. Years back, we studied the history of clothing, and how the loom may have come about (this was long before more modern scholarship), the possible steps between a gown and a tunic to the roots of the modern shirt; how people may have arrived at the first openings in an upper garment, the first ties, the forerunner of the 'placket', the fastener (ie, button and such), and so on. We were stuck with whatever photos existed of whatever artifacts existed. And it was still fascinating. Amazing that humans figured out that, from the fibers of plants, one could make thread, and then weave those threads into fabrics, etc etc, and come up with very large and very strong accouterments, both of clothing and furnishing. We'd have said, back then, that this loom is "astonishing": But that's because we assumed that a miracle had to happen for people this long ago (or in this broad spread of time) to have developed such a sophisticated loom. But of course, that was our prejudice, being artists and not historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, etc. Still, it's an object of wonder; and your photo makes it shine, almost eerily so (with all those intense blues and tinges of pink). And your light---esp intense at the loom bottom and around that window---makes this shine all the more. Like something auspicious is happening here---which it is, when one considers that we're the animal who appropriated nature to make cloth in the first place. Once again, your photography and postwork has communicated the mystery of your subject very well. And it's one of several fascinating 'journeys' you've created with the Lievelet theme. More broad and enticing work from you. I'm sorry I can't comment on every piece in every series, but at least I'm trying to capture the spirit of your series in each comment.