Wool Economy Research Articles

Animal Production and Secondary Products in the Fifth Millennium BC in northern Mesopotamia

Abstract. Current anthropological and archaeological research posits a strong role for livestock in the development of economic specialization and social inequality in the ancient Near East. We examine animal production in the Ubaid through Late Chalcolithic 2 periods (c. 5200-3800 BC) in northern Mesopotamia, presenting new zooarchaeological data from Tell Surezha. Evidence for gradual and piecemeal intensification of livestock production and secondary products exploitation, especially wool and cattle traction, suggest their importance for the evolution of the political economy in the region. Metrical data from Surezha show potential evidence for the emergence of the wool economy: the appearance of large-sized sheep and an increasing number of males suggest experimentation with new forms of management geared towards fiber exploitation. However, kill-off data argue against specialized and intensive production strategies for wool. Meanwhile, a high proportion of cattle distal limb bones show evidence of traction-related pathologies. These data are consistent with the use of cattle for plowing fields in a process of agricultural extensification. Finally, the high numbers of pigs from Surezha and the unusual pattern of dog consumption in the LC 1 indicate the importance of previously unexplored aspects of a mixed livestock economy in Ubaid and Late Chalcolithic 1-2 northern Mesopotamia.

Bronze Age Woollen Textile Production in England: A Consideration of Evidence and Potentials

Responding to recent advances in knowledge about the first arrival of woollen sheep in Europe and linked investigations of textile remains on the Continent, this paper argues that our insight into the role of wool in the English Bronze Age needs rethinking. We argue that the relevant questions are: when did the procurement of and working with wool become a routine aspect of settlement life, and did the change from plant fibres to wool affect communities differently? The paper outlines some of the core research questions we need to consider and points to the necessity of triangulating between the evidence provided by textiles, faunal remains, and textile working tools to reach more comprehensive insights. The paper ends by indicating a further research question – namely whether the apparent differences in the ‘wool economy’ in different parts of Bronze Age Europe may suggest differences in ‘body politics’.

Approaching sheep herds origins and the emergence of the wool economy in continental Europe during the Bronze Age

In recent years, extensive archaeological studies have provided us with new knowledge on wool and woollen textile production in continental Europe during the Bronze Age. Concentrations of large numbers of textile tools, and of zooarchaeological evidence suggesting intense sheepherding, hint at specialized centres of wool production during the Bronze Age. The aim of this paper is to discuss whether engagement with this economic activity was facilitated by the introduction of new foreign sheep types, possibly from the Eastern Mediterranean, where well-established wool economies existed, or by using local sheep, or a mixture of local and non-local types. A small-scale genetic pilot study, presented in this paper, primarily aimed at testing the DNA preservation, and thus the genomic potential in Bronze Age sheep remains provides evidence of both mitochondrial haplogroups A and B among Bronze Age sheep in Hungary. This result could hint at sheep herds with mixed origin but further in-depth studies are necessary to address this. We aim to promote scholarly interest in the issue and propose new directions for research on this topic.

:Wool Economy in the Ancient Near East and the Aegean: From the Beginnings of Sheep Husbandry to Institutional Textile Industry

Previous articleNext article No AccessWool Economy in the Ancient Near East and the Aegean: From the Beginnings of Sheep Husbandry to Institutional Textile Industry, edited by Catherine Breniquet and Cécile Michel. Ancient Textiles Series 17. Oxford: Oxbow, 2014. ix + 400 pp., figs. Hardback £38.Laura B. MazowLaura B. MazowEast Carolina University[email protected] Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Bulletin of the American Society of Overseas Research Volume 381May 2019 A journal of the American Schools of Oriental Research Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/702933 Views: 69Total views on this site Journal History This article was published in the Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research (1921-2021), which is continued by the Bulletin of the American Schools of Overseas Research (2022-present). © 2019 American Schools of Oriental Research. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Wool Economy During the European Bronze Age

A number of studies over the last decades have considerably increased our knowledge about production and trade of woollen textiles during the Bronze Age in the Near East, the Aegean, and continental Europe. In the wider Mediterranean area, thanks to the abundance of available evidence, it has been possible to use the concept of wool economy as a frame of reference to define the complex mechanisms behind production and trade of wool. The main aim of this paper is to reflect upon using the concept of wool economy to enhance our understanding of the relevant archaeological evidence from Bronze Age continental Europe.

Bronze Age Textile & Wool Economy: The Case of the Terramare Site of Montale, Italy

At the onset of the 2nd millenniumbc, a wool economy emerged across continental Europe. Archaeological, iconographical, and written sources from the Near East and the Aegean show that a Bronze Age wool economy involved considerable specialised labour and large scale animal husbandry. Resting only on archaeological evidence, detailed knowledge of wool economies in Bronze Age Europe has been limited, but recent investigations at the Terramare site of Montale, in northern Italy, document a high density of spindle whorls that strongly supports the existence of village-level specialised manufacture of yarn. Production does not appear to have been attached to an emerging elite nor was it fully independent of social constraints. We propose that, although probably managed by local elites, wool production was a community-based endeavour oriented towards exports aimed at obtaining locally unavailable raw materials and goods.

The Changing Role of Medieval Women

In his Perspective “Women, fertility, and the rise of modern capitalism” (25 October 2013, p. [427][1]), A. Alesina correctly pointed to the importance of the Black Death, alongside new Protestant ideas, in transforming Late Medieval European economies. He and other economic historians have noted that the Black Death substantially reduced the population of rural producers, bringing better returns to labor by comparison with earlier periods. Alesina also argues that women's fertility decreased as their labor in the fields increased. Alesina did not mention the export industry or social unrest, both of which contributed to economic changes and the status of women during this time. In the 14th century, England was becoming a major exporter of high-quality wool products. Initially, the benefits from these exports were enjoyed by the elite. However, centralized control of production was inefficient, and there was little to motivate their obligated labor force ([ 1 ][2]). Raw wool export also was increasingly supplanted by more local cloth production ([ 2 ][3]). The changing wool economy drew more female producers into the labor force. Women took jobs in weaving, basic production, and the growing service economy. The social unrest that characterized this period also contributed to women's changing roles. Growing commerce brought new opportunities for women, not only as producers, but also as marketers. As E. P. Thompson pointed out ([ 3 ][4]), women were often the leaders in riots in the marketplaces because they were more involved in market transactions than men, they understood market conditions in detail, and they had much to gain from institutionally improved market conditions. 1. [↵][5] 1. R. Hilton , Class Conflict and the Crisis of Feudalism: Essays in Medieval Social History (The Hambledon Press, London, 1985). 2. [↵][6] 1. R. Britnell , Britain and Ireland 1050–1530: Economy and Society (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 2004). 3. [↵][7] 1. E. P. Thompson , Past Present 50, 115 (1971). [OpenUrl][8] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1246228 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #ref-3 [5]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [6]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [7]: #xref-ref-3-1 View reference 3 in text [8]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DPast%2BPresent%26rft.volume%253D50%26rft.spage%253D115%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx