Moundville: Forgotten Textile Fragments Reveal the Past

Abstract

The multi-mound site of Moundville in west central Alabama provided the samples, dated to Moundville II (ad 1250-1400) and III (ad 1400-1550) phases. Mound W, Mound R and the Rhodes site within the palisaded area provided textile remains. Textile fragments from Mound W and R are charred and small in size. The Rhodes site provided a copper breastplate with textile pseudomorphs. The fragments provide a wealth of information about technology, their social significance and use, and aspects of ritual and cultural values through dispersal. Methodology included nondestructive physical analysis of samples, light microscopy, and environmental scanning electron microscopy. Chemical analysis spectra were collected using X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. It was evident that the fibers from the charred samples were of two types of plant tissue, xylem and sclerenchyma. Fiber type was not determinable for the Rhodes specimen. Even though the yarn and fabric structures were comparable between the specimens collected from domestic areas and the elite burial, the fineness of the yarns that were associated with the breastplate as a prestige good indicate a refining process used for the fibers. As indicated by the specimens available, there were boundaries between residential and apparently moderate elite burials at Moundville.