RECONSTRUCTING LATE ROMAN AND EARLY MEDIEVAL SILK SAMITES FROM EGYPT. RESEARCH ON TECHNIQUES

In the late 19th century many silken weft-faced compound twills have been discovered in necropolis in Egypt. They are now distributed to museums all over the world. The burials where the garments have been found have been dated to 4th-9th centuries AD, but due to their early discovery most of the silks have been separated from their original garments and lack a secured context. The PhD-project “Complex silk fabrics from the area of the Roman Empire from Late Roman and Early Medieval times” gives these precious fabrics back some of their context. Located at the University of Bonn, Department of Christian Archaeology, it investigates western silk samites, their origin, manufacturing process and distribution. While the recent history of the objects is one part of the research, the main part focuses on the detailed technical analysis of the preserved textiles: The non-invasive visual analysis of yarns, warp and weft proportions, pattern width, steps and weft sequences allows to draw very detailed conclusions on t