Textile had a major ceremonial role in the Inca empire, and is therefore often researched in Andean archaeology. However, the focus is often on either the production process of the cloth, or on the...Show moreTextile had a major ceremonial role in the Inca empire, and is therefore often researched in Andean archaeology. However, the focus is often on either the production process of the cloth, or on the symbolic value. These approaches are rarely combined. This research focusses on the clothing of five Inca Capacocha mummies: The three individuals from mount Llullaillaco, the young boy from mount El Plomo, and the female adolescent from mount Ampato. The connection between the technology and the meaning of the woven garments is investigated through literature analysis. Technology and style meet in the structure of the textile, as the design is embedded in and part of the woven fabric itself, and the completeness of the structure can be considered a stylistic feature. The two aspects also meet in what the designs depict. These are abstract patterns that represent symmetry, repetitions, contrasts and inversions, all concepts that are found back in Inca socio-political systems, ideology, and the actual structure of woven cloth. Finally, technology meets symbology in the artisans, the people who infuse the raw material with meaning through the process of production. Their social identity and their investment of labour and time gives the textile its value and prestigious status. Treating textile as the unity that it is, brings us one step closer to understanding the people involved in the production and consumption of these goods. When approached holistically, textile holds the potential to inform us on culturally specific ideas, preferences, and values within a society, through the messages that it carries within both its structure and symbols.Show less
The research of archaeological textilia is important. The empower this statement, the textilia of the past have to be understood. Why did people make and use these products? To get a grasp of the...Show moreThe research of archaeological textilia is important. The empower this statement, the textilia of the past have to be understood. Why did people make and use these products? To get a grasp of the answer, the production process has to be understood. Due to its complexity, every part of the chain functions as a choice, influencing the final product. This thesis focusses on the sorting preparation of woollen fibres, comparing experimentally processed and spun threads with archaeological samples of woollen yarn from Roswinkel, Smilde-Ravensmeer and Oss. The research starts with setting up a new methodology for the experiment, because little to none has been written on the subject. Focussing on the preparation of woollen fibres, the different reactions to carding, combing and teasing techniques are captured in a handspun thread. The visible reaction of the fibres are noticeable under a microscope. Differences are use of different fibre types, different fibre lengths, the alignment, the amount of crimp and the airiness between the fibres. The feel often corresponds with the used technique. The threads spun of the teased fibres feel either carded or combed, but are much less aligned. Comparing the analysis of the experimental yarn to the archaeological samples, the fibres show much alignment and almost no crimp. The threads are also of a very fine diameter. By using a VP-SEM instead of a stereo light microscope, as had been used for the experimental samples, many details are noticeable. Much can be seen in the material excavated from the peat, but the Oss material was often too mineralized. Therefore, the seemingly fibre reaction to the preparation technique could have been due to post-depositional causes. Contradictory, it seems unlikely that the fibres align (almost) perfectly in nature, concluding some sorting technique must have been used.Show less
