Added
Materials Analyses of the Oldest Persevered Textile from the
Neolithic/Eneolithic in Central /
Version 2.02
The oldest preserved fragments of Neolithic/Eneolithic cloth from the Funnel Beaker culture at Rmiz-Kremela I, Cental Moravia, Czech Republic were discovered by Dr. Miroslav Šmíd. A preliminary materials analysis was performed by Dr. Kathryn Jakes, Professor, The Ohio State University, College of Human Ecology, Consumer & Textile Science. She reports as follows:
Introduction
The small fragment of cloth was received from Dr. Maximilian O.
Baldia who had
sampled the piece from a larger textile found at the Funnel Beaker culture site
in
Methods
The fragment received was approximately 2 mm by 5 mm in size. The sample was examined under low power magnification using a stereomicroscope, and then attached lightly to carbon tape on a planchette. The mounted sample was not coated, as is typically done with most organic material. The sample was examined under a low accelerating voltage in a Jeol Scanning electron microscope, and qualitative evaluations of elemental composition was performed with an Oxford Analytical eXL energy dispersive spectrometer.
Results
Observed under low power magnification, the face of the fragment displays a black fabric-like structure with yarns interlacing in some manner. Although another report indicates that the fabric is likely to be a plain woven construction, confirmation of this in our laboratory would require some further surface cleaning and study. The surface of the fabric is encrusted with some light colored particulate material, possibly soil particles. The reverse side of the small fragment does not show fabric structure and is rather a solid-looking somewhat shiny material with some holes. It looks like a glassy type material.
Observed under higher magnification with the scanning electron microscope, the textile surface is in some locations very occluded with the surface particulate. In some areas, longitudinal views of the fibers are clearly observable, and in other areas near the fragment edges, the cross sections of the fibers within the yarns are easily seen. The fibers range from about 6 microns to 9 microns in diameter.
The cross sectional shape of the fibers is displayed in views a, b, and c of the attached figure. The lumina in each of the fibers is obvious, and is key to indicating that these fibers are of plant origin, and are not wool. The small lumina relative to the larger relative area of fiber is typical of flax fibers, and aids in excluding hemp or nettle from consideration as a possible identity as does the fiber diameters noted. The longitudinal views of the fibers (view d) display dislocations characteristic of bast fibers. Of the three, flax, hemp or nettle, flax has the dislocations most comparable to those observed in these fibers.
X-ray microanalysis of areas of the fragment revealed that the fibers themselves do not contain much sulfur, (a feature that would have been present if the material were wool). The surface particulate contains silicon, aluminum, magnesium, and calcium in addition to carbon, and so is soil-like in composition. The glassy material appears to have flowed into and around some of the fibers. It is very high in calcium in addition to carbon, and so is different from the surface particulate material. The identity of this material is unknown; further analyses would be required to identify it. The impregnating material, however, will limit the suitability of this textile fragment for radiocarbon dating since the fragment contains carbon from three different sources, rather than from the textile alone.
Conclusion
The fiber content of the fabric is flax, Linum species.
References and credits
2004 The Oldest
Woven Textile of the Funnelbeaker Culture (4000-2900 cal BC) in North and
Central Europe. In I. Jadin et al., Section
9: The Neolithic in the Near East and Europe; Section 10: The Copper Age in the
Near East and Europe. Actes du XIVčme Congrčs
1998 Activity Report of
the 1998 Czech-American Rmíz Research Project
Smíd, Miroslav
1990 Prispevek k
poznání eneolitických mohylových pohrebišt' na strední Morave. Praveké a slovanské osídlení Moravy 1990:67-89,
Brno.
Related Links
Neolithic
Map of North and
Central Europe
A
Spatial Analysis of Megalithic Tombs
A
Spatial Analysis of Megalithic Tombs: Bibliography
The Funnel Beaker
Culture Chronology
Central
and North European Chronology
Tomb C14
Dates
Neolithic/Copper
Age Link Index
Ancient Textiles
- Ancient Textiles (Web site for Textile Science and Ancient Textiles)
- Clothing of the Bog People. Archaeology
Please send comments or questions to Max Baldia.