Wool textiles and archaeometry: testing reliability of archaeological wool fibre diameter measurements

Characterisations of ancient sheep breeds and wool types and theories about wool fibre processing are integral parts of textile archaeology. The studies build on statistical calculations of measurements of wool fibre diameters and reveal characteristics of the yarns that are attributed to the available raw wool and to the production methods of the time. Different microscope types have been used for data collection. Presently digital images from either scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or transmitted light microscopy (TLM) are the preferred methods. The advantage of SEM is the good depth of field at high magnification, while TLM is simpler to use and more readily available. Several classification systems have been developed to facilitate the interpretation of the results. In this article, the comparability of the results from these two methods and from the use of different magnifications in general is examined based on the analyses of a large number of the Danish prehistoric textiles. The results do not indicate superiority of one microscope type in favour of another. Rather, they reveal differences in the calculations that can be ascribed to the diversity of the fibres in the individual yarns as well as to the methodology and the magnification level

Wool Textiles and Archaeometry: Testing Reliability of Archaeological Wool Fibre Diameter

Characterisations of ancient sheep breeds and wool types as well as theories about wool fibre processing have become integral parts of textile archaeology. The studies are based on statistical calculations of measurements of wool fibre diameters and reveal characteristics of the yarns that can be attributed to the available raw wool and to the production methods of the people creating the textiles. The types of microscopes used for the analyses have varied through the years and presently digital images from either scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or transmitted light microscopy (TLM) are the preferred methods for data collection. The advantage of SEM is the good depth of field at high magnification while TLM is simpler to use and more readily available. Several classification systems have been developed to facilitate the interpretation of the results. In this paper the comparability of the results from these two methods and from the use of different magnifications in general is examined based on the analyses of a large number of the Danish prehistoric textiles. The results do not indicate superiority of one microscope type in favour of another. Rather, they reveal differences in the calculations that can be ascribed to the diversity of the fibres in the individual yarns as well as to the methodology and the magnification level.The research leading to these results was funded by the Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for Textile Research [DNRF64], the National Museum of Denmark, the European Commission’s Marie Curie Actions under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme [FP7-PEOPLE-IEF-2008-236263], and the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme [FP/2007-2013-312603]

Old Textiles - New Possibilities

Textile research has become an important field of archaeology. Although the established analytical methods are often viewed as specialized, their integration with other interdisciplinary approaches allows us to deal with broader archaeological issues and provides the interpretational base for a much more comprehensive investigation of textiles in ancient times. Analyses of fibres, dyes, archaeobotanical and archaeozoological remains, as well as palaeoenvironmental and geo- chemical investigations, provide information about available resources, while tool studies, experimental testing, and visual grouping are approaches that explore the technology and techniques. Together, these approaches can provide new knowledge about textile production and consumption and, thereby, about people and society in ancient times

Development of a conservation strategy for a collection of military uniforms

The development of a conservation strategy to prolong theuseful lifetime of a collection of waterproofed military uniformsdating from 1880 to 1960 is described. Waterproofing agentspresent at the surfaces of each costume were identified,mainly using attenuated total reflection-Fourier transforminfrared spectroscopy, as: drying oils from plant and fishsources, bitumen, natural rubber and plasticised polyvinylchloride (PVC). Despite the fact that most uniforms had neverbeen worn, many exhibited extensive deterioration: oiltreateduniforms were tacky due to incomplete oxidationeither because of incomplete preparation of the oils orexcessive thickness of application. Bitumen-waterproofingwas tacky because it had depolymerised during exposure tolight. By changing the storage environment to one of stablemoderate temperature and relative humidity, it is suggestedthat the deterioration of the waterproofing materials wouldbe slowed to some extent. Uniforms treated with oils orbitumen also require external covers to isolate their tackysurfaces, and internal support to maintain their shape. Testssuggested that uniforms treated with oils could be supportedby silicone paper or polyethylene-based films; suitablecovering materials were polyethylene and Cryovac®BDF-200® . Uniforms treated with bitumen could be supportedby polyethylene film and covered by polyethylene, Melinex®or Cryovac BDF-200. Natural rubber-treated uniforms hadoxidised, developing cracks and crazes: oxygen-free storageis recommended. Uniforms waterproofed with plasticisedPVC exhibited slight tackiness due to migration of plasticiser.<br/