The Textile Revolution in Bronze Age Europe: Production, Specialisation, Consumption

Description

Textile production and the introduction of wool and woolen textiles represented a great revolution in Bronze Age Europe at the dawn of the second millennium BC. The available contemporary written sources from the Mediterranean and Near East suggest that textile production had a strong impact on the cultural, social, and economic life. In most parts of continental Europe, however, archaeological material alone can help us understand the details relating to textile production and its wider importance to early societies. This book provides new insights on patterns of production, specialization, and consumption of textiles in Europe throughout the Bronze Age. Assembling a diverse array of studies on various aspect of the textile production and economy, the essays, specially written for this volume, provide a wide range of scientific data as well as archaeological evidence. They also show the great potential of examining early textile production through the use of innovative methodologies and diverse perspectives.

Serena Sabatini is Associate Professor at the Goeteborgs Universitet, Sweden and a scholar of Bronze Age trade and exchange networks in Europe and in the Mediterranean area. Her current research focuses on Bronze Age textile production and wool economy. Sophie Bergerbrant is Associate Professor in Archaeology at the Goeteborgs Universitet, Sweden. Her main areas of research are the Early and Middle Bronze Age in Northern and Central Europe relating to textile archaeology, costume, mobility, gender, and embodiment.