An Undervalued Archaeological Resource: Social Aspects of Bronze Age Textile Production in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula

Ricardo E Basso Rial,Francisco Javier Jover Maestre,Juan Antonio López Padilla

doi:10.1017/eaa.2021.15

Ricardo E Basso Rial, Francisco Javier Jover Maestre + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1017/eaa.2021.15

Copy DOI

Abstract

According to Childe, the Bronze Age in Europe is thought to be the first ‘golden age’ in European history. The development of metallurgy, clearly associated with the production of weapons, and the expansion of exchange networks covering all types of goods are considered essential in the process of consolidation of social elites, and, by extension, of social inequalities. The significance of textile production has, however, been undervalued as a specialized craft and as a manufacturing process that creates cultural differences and signals social inequalities. Being associated with domestic contexts rather than with specialized workshops, textile production in the eastern Iberian Peninsula has been underestimated; it is addressed here, as is its potential importance in societies immersed in a process of social stratification.

Highlights

Research into the development of Bronze Age societies in Europe and the Mediterranean has emphasized the importance of trade associated with the development of metallurgy (e.g. Childe, 1958; Briard, 1997; Kristiansen & Larsson, 2005; Earle et al, 2015)
More than a century of archaeological research on the Bronze Age in the eastern Iberian Peninsula has led to the definition of different archaeological cultures, with differing degrees of social and economic development
Linen and wool were used to create textiles for clothes, covers, and bags; while other fibres such as bulrushes, and esparto grass, were employed in the manufacture of items associated with storage, transport, protection, furnishing, footwear, etc

Summary

Introduction

Research into the development of Bronze Age societies in Europe and the Mediterranean has emphasized the importance of trade associated with the development of metallurgy (e.g. Childe, 1958; Briard, 1997; Kristiansen & Larsson, 2005; Earle et al, 2015). Gilman, 1981; Lull, 1983; Chapman, 1991; Harding, 2000) This perspective has, led to a certain undervaluing of the importance of other crafts in the processes of social development, including, in our opinion, textile production. Textile production—especially weaving and sewing— requires great skill and ability, as well as many hours of work. Such attributes are usually associated with craft specialization and the technical division of labour. While studies carried out in the Eastern Mediterranean and elsewhere in Europe have highlighted the economic and social importance of textiles While studies carried out in the Eastern Mediterranean and elsewhere in Europe have highlighted the economic and social importance of textiles (e.g. Lucas & Harris, 1962; Barber, 1991; McCorriston, 1997; Killen, 2007; Gleba, 2008; Harris, 2012; Andersson Strand & Nosch, 2015; Frei et al, 2017; Bender Jørgensen et al, 2018; Sabatini et al, 2018; Sabatini & Bergerbrant, 2019), textiles have been

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion