Unravelling Mycenaean Threads: The FAROS Project

The Fabric of Kings: Funerary textile remains from Mycenae and the early Mycenaean textile production.<

ΔΡΑΣΕΙΣ

ΗΝΑΜ inv. no Π 779

It is a very degraded, blackish balanced tabby. Its bad condition did not allow sample extraction in order to perform fibre identification under the optical of SEM microscopes. The threads are thicker than most of the fabrics of the Grave Circles and it has a medium density. The threads are plied with an S-twist, most probably spliced.

ΗΝΑΜ inv. no Π 816_d

Traces of a very degraded blackish textile are visible on multiple areas of the surface of the first two fabric qualities. These remains belong to a different textile, now almost entirely disintegrated. Because such traces occur on both sides of the fragments, it is plausible that the linen textiles had originally been wrapped in another fabric. The poor state of preservation of this dark textile, together with its strong contrast to the linen fabric (quality 1), suggests that it was made of animal fibres, most likely wool, and was possibly dyed.

ΗΝΑΜ inv. no Π 816_b

A small textile fragment presents  evidence of a finer weave than the previous fabric.

ΗΝΑΜ inv. no Π 17976_a

 

This find comprises two freestanding groups of textiles originally deriving from the surface of the silver vase (proghous) ΗΝΑΜ inv. no Π 8569. They are mineralised due to the contact with the silver vase and are very degraded and fragile; they have been heavily treated with consolidant as part of their conservation treatment, which makes the macroscopic observation quite challenging. Stereoscopic study showed that there are two different textile qualities.

ΗΝΑΜ inv. no Π 228

It is a fine, dense, balanced tabby preserved in freestanding fragments. The fabric is mineralised, most likely due to prolonged proximity to a metal object, and several areas exhibit copper oxides. No technical elements, such as edges or decorative elements have been identified.

ΗΝΑΜ inv. no Π 551

 

This unique find represents non-textile fibre technology from early Mycenae, a coarse mat or basketry made from rushes rather than standard woven fabric. The remains represent a single-layer specimen, preserved in extremely degraded condition. The material and construction suggest a band-like or mat structure, rather than a standard woven textile. The main fragments are coarse, flat bands, lacking regular weave, and certain technical details such as thread count could not be determined. 

ΗΝΑΜ inv. no Π 816_a

The find ΗΝΑΜ inv. no Π 816 consists of four different textile qualities. Most of the remains of this find belong to this first quality. The largest fragment is conserved in several layers (ca. 7). It is a mineralised balanced tabby, conserved in many fragments and in different states of preservation, presumably due to its proximity to a metal object.

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