Dynamics and Organization of Textile Production in Past Societies in Europe and the Mediterranean, Polish Academy of Sciences, June 21–22, 2017

Textile production with its complex technology and high socio-cultural significance has  been a key craft in past societies in Europe and the Mediterranean. However, despite its complexities and social and economic importance textile manufacture has been often considered a household-scale production performed and maintained predominantly by women. The present conference aims to examine the dynamics and organisation of textile production, through investigating the combined evidence of archaeological textiles, textile tools and equipment, archaeological remains of textile workshops and dye-works, and written and iconographic sources. The conference will focus on Europe and the Mediterranean from the late Neolithic to Iron Age and early historical periods.

We particularly welcome papers discussing various aspects of the dynamics and organisation of textile production, such as

• modes of production: individual, household manufacture and organised industry;
• scale of textile production and consumption of fabrics;
• degree of the elite’s participation in textile production and the level of their control of textile technology (resources, techniques and skills, workers) and distribution of textiles;
• advancements of textile techniques, transfer of skills and knowledge, systems of the apprenticeship; gendered division of labour in textile craft;
• experimental approaches to investigating organisation of production and its specialisation.

Organisers
Agata Ulanowska, Polish Academy of Sciences
Małgorzata Grupa, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
Małgorzata Siennicka, University of Copenhagen