When one thinks of ancient Aegean civilizations, especially during the Bronze Age, it is easy to visualize the great palaces, art, and other monumental achievements of the Minoans and Mycenaeans, the people who built the iconic architectural remains we see today at Knossos on Crete and Mycenae in mainland Greece. The magnificent early fresco wall paintings of the Cycladic people at ancient Akrotiri on the island of Santorini bear images of a sophisticated community of artists, agriculturalists, maritime traders, religion, and other elements of a highly developed society. Those frescoes also reveal a rich example of clothing style and fashion, unique to the people who inhabited the island over 3500 years ago. One sees it in the stylistic depictions of beautifully adorned young women, such as those illustrated on the excavated walls of the House of the Ladies at Akrotiri.
In the latest released episode of Dr. Ester Salgarella’s podcast series, Aegean Connections, Dr. Sophia Vakirtzi of Greece’s Hellenic Ministry of Culture shares her knowledge and discusses her research related to the artifacts and other evidence for the extensive and sophisticated textile industry of the Aegean peoples. She relates how the study of the tools, such as weaving equipment, spindle whorls, loom weights, imprints of threads and strings, and other objects or evidence have shed light on the ancient Aegean Bronze Age manufacture of clothing and other fiber/fabric objects and elements.
It is a fascinating window on a topic where the evidence, though perhaps not as robust and ‘flashy’ as other material forms of evidence for other aspects of ancient society, reflects the significance of the industry’s importance and presence among these ancient peoples.
The podcast is free and available for your listening ear here.
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Agate spindle whorl. Minoan, ca. 2200–1450 BCE. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain
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Cover Image, Top Left: Minoan spindle whorl, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public Domain
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