Author: A. D. H. Bivar
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Art, Sogdian
Languages : de
Pages : 320
Book Description
Central Asian Textiles and Their Contexts in the Early Middle Ages
Author: A. D. H. Bivar
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Art, Sogdian
Languages : de
Pages : 320
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Art, Sogdian
Languages : de
Pages : 320
Book Description
Transcending Patterns
Author: Mariachiara Gasparini
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824881702
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 281
Book Description
In Transcending Patterns: Silk Road Cultural and Artistic Interactions through Central Asian Textiles, Mariachiara Gasparini investigates the origin and effects of a textile-mediated visual culture that developed at the heart of the Silk Road between the seventh and fourteenth centuries. Through the analysis of the Turfan Textile Collection in the Museum of Asian Art in Berlin and more than a thousand textiles held in collections worldwide, Gasparini discloses and reconstructs the rich cultural entanglements along the Silk Road, between the coming of Islam and the rise of the Mongol Empire, from the Tarim to Mediterranean Basin. Exploring in detail the iconographic transfer between different agents and different media from Central Asian caves to South Italian churches, the author depicts and describes the movement and exchange of portable objects such as sculpture, wall painting, and silk fragments across the Asian continent and across the ages. Gasparini’s history offers critical perspectives that extend far beyond an outmoded notion of “Silk Road studies.” Her cross-media work shows readers how certain material cultures are connected not only by the physical routes they take but also because of the meanings and interpretations these objects engage in various places. Transcending Patterns is at once art history, material and visual cultural history, Asian studies, conservatory studies, and linguistics.
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824881702
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 281
Book Description
In Transcending Patterns: Silk Road Cultural and Artistic Interactions through Central Asian Textiles, Mariachiara Gasparini investigates the origin and effects of a textile-mediated visual culture that developed at the heart of the Silk Road between the seventh and fourteenth centuries. Through the analysis of the Turfan Textile Collection in the Museum of Asian Art in Berlin and more than a thousand textiles held in collections worldwide, Gasparini discloses and reconstructs the rich cultural entanglements along the Silk Road, between the coming of Islam and the rise of the Mongol Empire, from the Tarim to Mediterranean Basin. Exploring in detail the iconographic transfer between different agents and different media from Central Asian caves to South Italian churches, the author depicts and describes the movement and exchange of portable objects such as sculpture, wall painting, and silk fragments across the Asian continent and across the ages. Gasparini’s history offers critical perspectives that extend far beyond an outmoded notion of “Silk Road studies.” Her cross-media work shows readers how certain material cultures are connected not only by the physical routes they take but also because of the meanings and interpretations these objects engage in various places. Transcending Patterns is at once art history, material and visual cultural history, Asian studies, conservatory studies, and linguistics.
A Companion to Textile Culture
Author: Jennifer Harris
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118768647
Category : Design
Languages : en
Pages : 528
Book Description
A lively and innovative collection of new and recent writings on the cultural contexts of textiles The study of textile culture is a dynamic field of scholarship which spans disciplines and crosses traditional academic boundaries. A Companion to Textile Culture is an expertly curated compendium of new scholarship on both the historical and contemporary cultural dimensions of textiles, bringing together the work of an interdisciplinary team of recognized experts in the field. The Companion provides an expansive examination of textiles within the broader area of visual and material culture, and addresses key issues central to the contemporary study of the subject. A wide range of methodological and theoretical approaches to the subject are explored—technological, anthropological, philosophical, and psychoanalytical, amongst others—and developments that have influenced academic writing about textiles over the past decade are discussed in detail. Uniquely, the text embraces archaeological textiles from the first millennium AD as well as contemporary art and performance work that is still ongoing. This authoritative volume: Offers a balanced presentation of writings from academics, artists, and curators Presents writings from disciplines including histories of art and design, world history, anthropology, archaeology, and literary studies Covers an exceptionally broad chronological and geographical range Provides diverse global, transnational, and narrative perspectives Included numerous images throughout the text to illustrate key concepts A Companion to Textile Culture is an essential resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students, instructors, and researchers of textile history, contemporary textiles, art and design, visual and material culture, textile crafts, and museology.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118768647
Category : Design
Languages : en
Pages : 528
Book Description
A lively and innovative collection of new and recent writings on the cultural contexts of textiles The study of textile culture is a dynamic field of scholarship which spans disciplines and crosses traditional academic boundaries. A Companion to Textile Culture is an expertly curated compendium of new scholarship on both the historical and contemporary cultural dimensions of textiles, bringing together the work of an interdisciplinary team of recognized experts in the field. The Companion provides an expansive examination of textiles within the broader area of visual and material culture, and addresses key issues central to the contemporary study of the subject. A wide range of methodological and theoretical approaches to the subject are explored—technological, anthropological, philosophical, and psychoanalytical, amongst others—and developments that have influenced academic writing about textiles over the past decade are discussed in detail. Uniquely, the text embraces archaeological textiles from the first millennium AD as well as contemporary art and performance work that is still ongoing. This authoritative volume: Offers a balanced presentation of writings from academics, artists, and curators Presents writings from disciplines including histories of art and design, world history, anthropology, archaeology, and literary studies Covers an exceptionally broad chronological and geographical range Provides diverse global, transnational, and narrative perspectives Included numerous images throughout the text to illustrate key concepts A Companion to Textile Culture is an essential resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students, instructors, and researchers of textile history, contemporary textiles, art and design, visual and material culture, textile crafts, and museology.
Life Along the Silk Road
Author: Susan Whitfield
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520280598
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 308
Book Description
"In this long-awaited second edition, Susan Whitfield expands her trailblazing exploration of the Silk Road and broadens her rich and varied portrait of life along the great premodern trade routes of Eurasia. This new edition is comprehensively updated to support further understanding of themes relevant to global and comparative history. In the first 1,000 years after Christ, merchants, missionaries, monks, mendicants, and military men traveled on the vast network of Central Asian tracks that became known as the Silk Road. Whitfield recounts the lives of twelve individuals who lived at different times during this period, including two new characters: an African shipmaster and a Persian traveler and writer during the Arab caliphate. With these additional tales, Whitfield extends both geographical and chronological scope, bringing into view the maritime links across the Indian Ocean and depicting the network of north-south routes from the Baltic to the Gulf. Throughout the narrative, Whitfield conveys a strong sense of what life was like for ordinary men and women on the Silk Road, the individuals usually forgotten to history. A work of great scholarship, Life along the Silk Road continues to be extremely accessible and entertaining"--Provided by publisher.
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520280598
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 308
Book Description
"In this long-awaited second edition, Susan Whitfield expands her trailblazing exploration of the Silk Road and broadens her rich and varied portrait of life along the great premodern trade routes of Eurasia. This new edition is comprehensively updated to support further understanding of themes relevant to global and comparative history. In the first 1,000 years after Christ, merchants, missionaries, monks, mendicants, and military men traveled on the vast network of Central Asian tracks that became known as the Silk Road. Whitfield recounts the lives of twelve individuals who lived at different times during this period, including two new characters: an African shipmaster and a Persian traveler and writer during the Arab caliphate. With these additional tales, Whitfield extends both geographical and chronological scope, bringing into view the maritime links across the Indian Ocean and depicting the network of north-south routes from the Baltic to the Gulf. Throughout the narrative, Whitfield conveys a strong sense of what life was like for ordinary men and women on the Silk Road, the individuals usually forgotten to history. A work of great scholarship, Life along the Silk Road continues to be extremely accessible and entertaining"--Provided by publisher.
Handbook of Medieval Studies
Author: Albrecht Classen
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
ISBN: 3110215586
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 2822
Book Description
This interdisciplinary handbook provides extensive information about research in medieval studies and its most important results over the last decades. The handbook is a reference work which enables the readers to quickly and purposely gain insight into the important research discussions and to inform themselves about the current status of research in the field. The handbook consists of four parts. The first, large section offers articles on all of the main disciplines and discussions of the field. The second section presents articles on the key concepts of modern medieval studies and the debates therein. The third section is a lexicon of the most important text genres of the Middle Ages. The fourth section provides an international bio-bibliographical lexicon of the most prominent medievalists in all disciplines. A comprehensive bibliography rounds off the compendium. The result is a reference work which exhaustively documents the current status of research in medieval studies and brings the disciplines and experts of the field together.
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
ISBN: 3110215586
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 2822
Book Description
This interdisciplinary handbook provides extensive information about research in medieval studies and its most important results over the last decades. The handbook is a reference work which enables the readers to quickly and purposely gain insight into the important research discussions and to inform themselves about the current status of research in the field. The handbook consists of four parts. The first, large section offers articles on all of the main disciplines and discussions of the field. The second section presents articles on the key concepts of modern medieval studies and the debates therein. The third section is a lexicon of the most important text genres of the Middle Ages. The fourth section provides an international bio-bibliographical lexicon of the most prominent medievalists in all disciplines. A comprehensive bibliography rounds off the compendium. The result is a reference work which exhaustively documents the current status of research in medieval studies and brings the disciplines and experts of the field together.
Science and Conservation for Museum Collection
Author: Bruno Fabbri
Publisher: Nardini Editore
ISBN: 8840442189
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 472
Book Description
The idea of the book “Science and Conservation for Museum Collections” was born as a result of the experience made by CNR-ISTEC (Faenza) in the implementation of a course for Syrian restorers at the National Museum in Damascus. The book takes into consideration archaeological artefacts made out of the most common materials, like stones (both natural and artificial), mosaics, ceramics, glass, metals, wood and textiles, together with less diffuse artefacts and materials, like clay tablets, goldsmith artefacts, icons, leather and skin objects, bones and ivory, coral and mother of pearl. Each type of material is treated from four different points of view: composition and processing technology; alteration and degradation causes and mechanisms; procedures for conservative intervention; case studies and/or examples of conservation and restoration. Due to the high number of materials and to the great difference between their conservation problems, all the subjects are treated in a schematic, but precise and complete way. The book is mainly addressed to students, young restorers, conservators and conservation scientists all around the world. But the book can be usefully read by expert professionals too, because nobody can know everything and the experts often need to learn something of the materials not included in their specific knowledge. Twenty- two experts in very different fields of activity contributed with their experience for obtaining a good product. All they are Italian experts, or working in Italy, so that the book can be seen as an exemplification on how the conservation problem of Cultural Heritage is received and tackled in Italy. —————————————————— SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION FOR MUSEUM COLLECTIONS INTRODUCTION 1 – PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION 1.1 Introduction 1.2 International standards and guidelines 1.3 Environment-material interaction 1.4 Microclimate and monitoring 1.5 Handling works of art 1.6 Exhibition criteria 1.7 MUSA project: intermuseum network for conservation of artistic heritage Bibliography Acknowledgements 2 – STONE ARTEFACTS 2.1 What conservation means 2.2 Natural Stones 2.3 Artificial stones 2.4 Deterioration of the stone 2.5 Cleaning of stone artefacts 2.6 Consolidation and Protection 2.7 Case studies Bibliography 3 – MOSAICS 3.1 Manufacturing techniques 3.2 History of the mosaic 3.3 Degradation of mosaic 3.4 Restoration of mosaics 3.5 Case study Bibliography 4 – CERAMICS 4.1 Ceramic technology 4.2 Technological classification of ceramics 4.3 Alteration and degradation processes 4.4 Ceramic conservation and restoration 4.5 Case studies 4.6 Examples of restoration Bibliography Acknowledgements 5 – CLAY TABLETS 5.1 Defnition 5.2 Deterioration 5.3 Conservative intervention 5.4 Case study: Syrian tablets Bibliography Acknowledgements 6 – GLASS 6.1 General information 6.2 Processing techniques 6.3 Glass deterioration 6.4 Glass conservation and restoration 6.5 Case studies Bibliography Acknowledgements 7 – METALS 7.1 Origin of metals 7.2 Manufacturing techniques 7.3 Conservation state of metals 7.4 Conservative intervention for metals 7.5 Case studies: Recovery of metallic artefacts from terracotta containers Bibliography Acknowledgements 8 – GOLDSMITH ARTEFACTS 8.1 Goldsmith’s metals 8.2 Enamels 8.3 Precious stones 8.4 Alteration and degradation 8.5 Conservative intervention 8.6 Case studies Bibliography 9 – WOOD ARTEFACTS 9.1 Characteristics of the wood 9.2 Working techniques 9.3 Degradation of wood 9.4 How to start restoring 9.5 Restoration of a small inlaid table 9.6 Restoration of a commemorating wooden tablet 9.7 The restoration of a seventeenth-century wooden crucifix Bibliography 10 – ICONS 10.1 The construction of icons 10.2 Degradation and damages of icons 10.3 Methods of conservation and restoration of icons 10.4 Examples of conservative interventions Bibliography 11 – TEXTILE FINDS 11.1 Morphology, characteristics and properties of textiles 11.2 Decay of textile fibres 11.3 Conservation treatments of archaeological textiles 11.4 Conservation practice: two case histories Bibliography Acknowledgements 12 – LEATHER AND ANIMAL SKIN OBJECTS 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Skin 12.3 The tanning process 12.4 Parchment 12.5 Leather degradation 12.6 Conservative intervention 12.7 Examples of conservative interventions Bibliography 13 – INORGANIC MATERIALS OF ORGANIC ORIGIN 13.1 The materials 13.2 The restoration operations 13.3 Cases of study Bibliography Acknowledgements 14 – ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES 14.1 General information 14.2 Optical microscopy 14.3 Spectroscopic techniques 14.4 Radiochemical techniques 14.5 Chromatography 14.6 Electron microscopy 14.7 Thermal analyses 14.8 Open porosity measurements 14.9 Analysis of microbial colonization Bibliography Acknowledgements
Publisher: Nardini Editore
ISBN: 8840442189
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 472
Book Description
The idea of the book “Science and Conservation for Museum Collections” was born as a result of the experience made by CNR-ISTEC (Faenza) in the implementation of a course for Syrian restorers at the National Museum in Damascus. The book takes into consideration archaeological artefacts made out of the most common materials, like stones (both natural and artificial), mosaics, ceramics, glass, metals, wood and textiles, together with less diffuse artefacts and materials, like clay tablets, goldsmith artefacts, icons, leather and skin objects, bones and ivory, coral and mother of pearl. Each type of material is treated from four different points of view: composition and processing technology; alteration and degradation causes and mechanisms; procedures for conservative intervention; case studies and/or examples of conservation and restoration. Due to the high number of materials and to the great difference between their conservation problems, all the subjects are treated in a schematic, but precise and complete way. The book is mainly addressed to students, young restorers, conservators and conservation scientists all around the world. But the book can be usefully read by expert professionals too, because nobody can know everything and the experts often need to learn something of the materials not included in their specific knowledge. Twenty- two experts in very different fields of activity contributed with their experience for obtaining a good product. All they are Italian experts, or working in Italy, so that the book can be seen as an exemplification on how the conservation problem of Cultural Heritage is received and tackled in Italy. —————————————————— SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION FOR MUSEUM COLLECTIONS INTRODUCTION 1 – PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION 1.1 Introduction 1.2 International standards and guidelines 1.3 Environment-material interaction 1.4 Microclimate and monitoring 1.5 Handling works of art 1.6 Exhibition criteria 1.7 MUSA project: intermuseum network for conservation of artistic heritage Bibliography Acknowledgements 2 – STONE ARTEFACTS 2.1 What conservation means 2.2 Natural Stones 2.3 Artificial stones 2.4 Deterioration of the stone 2.5 Cleaning of stone artefacts 2.6 Consolidation and Protection 2.7 Case studies Bibliography 3 – MOSAICS 3.1 Manufacturing techniques 3.2 History of the mosaic 3.3 Degradation of mosaic 3.4 Restoration of mosaics 3.5 Case study Bibliography 4 – CERAMICS 4.1 Ceramic technology 4.2 Technological classification of ceramics 4.3 Alteration and degradation processes 4.4 Ceramic conservation and restoration 4.5 Case studies 4.6 Examples of restoration Bibliography Acknowledgements 5 – CLAY TABLETS 5.1 Defnition 5.2 Deterioration 5.3 Conservative intervention 5.4 Case study: Syrian tablets Bibliography Acknowledgements 6 – GLASS 6.1 General information 6.2 Processing techniques 6.3 Glass deterioration 6.4 Glass conservation and restoration 6.5 Case studies Bibliography Acknowledgements 7 – METALS 7.1 Origin of metals 7.2 Manufacturing techniques 7.3 Conservation state of metals 7.4 Conservative intervention for metals 7.5 Case studies: Recovery of metallic artefacts from terracotta containers Bibliography Acknowledgements 8 – GOLDSMITH ARTEFACTS 8.1 Goldsmith’s metals 8.2 Enamels 8.3 Precious stones 8.4 Alteration and degradation 8.5 Conservative intervention 8.6 Case studies Bibliography 9 – WOOD ARTEFACTS 9.1 Characteristics of the wood 9.2 Working techniques 9.3 Degradation of wood 9.4 How to start restoring 9.5 Restoration of a small inlaid table 9.6 Restoration of a commemorating wooden tablet 9.7 The restoration of a seventeenth-century wooden crucifix Bibliography 10 – ICONS 10.1 The construction of icons 10.2 Degradation and damages of icons 10.3 Methods of conservation and restoration of icons 10.4 Examples of conservative interventions Bibliography 11 – TEXTILE FINDS 11.1 Morphology, characteristics and properties of textiles 11.2 Decay of textile fibres 11.3 Conservation treatments of archaeological textiles 11.4 Conservation practice: two case histories Bibliography Acknowledgements 12 – LEATHER AND ANIMAL SKIN OBJECTS 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Skin 12.3 The tanning process 12.4 Parchment 12.5 Leather degradation 12.6 Conservative intervention 12.7 Examples of conservative interventions Bibliography 13 – INORGANIC MATERIALS OF ORGANIC ORIGIN 13.1 The materials 13.2 The restoration operations 13.3 Cases of study Bibliography Acknowledgements 14 – ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES 14.1 General information 14.2 Optical microscopy 14.3 Spectroscopic techniques 14.4 Radiochemical techniques 14.5 Chromatography 14.6 Electron microscopy 14.7 Thermal analyses 14.8 Open porosity measurements 14.9 Analysis of microbial colonization Bibliography Acknowledgements
The Two Eyes of the Earth
Author: Matthew P. Canepa
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520294831
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 451
Book Description
This pioneering study examines a pivotal period in the history of Europe and the Near East. Spanning the ancient and medieval worlds, it investigates the shared ideal of sacred kingship that emerged in the late Roman and Persian empires. Bridging the traditional divide between classical and Iranian history, this book brings to life the dazzling courts of two global powers that deeply affected the cultures of medieval Europe, Byzantium, Islam, South Asia, and China.
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520294831
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 451
Book Description
This pioneering study examines a pivotal period in the history of Europe and the Near East. Spanning the ancient and medieval worlds, it investigates the shared ideal of sacred kingship that emerged in the late Roman and Persian empires. Bridging the traditional divide between classical and Iranian history, this book brings to life the dazzling courts of two global powers that deeply affected the cultures of medieval Europe, Byzantium, Islam, South Asia, and China.
Patterned Splendour
Author: Lesley Pullen
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
ISBN: 9814881856
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 328
Book Description
There exist numerous free-standing figurative sculptures produced in Java between the eighth and fifteenth centuries whose dress display detailed textile patterns. This surviving body of sculpture, carved in stone and cast in metal, varying in both size and condition, remains in archaeological sites and museums in Indonesia and worldwide. The equatorial climate of Java has precluded any textiles from this period surviving. Therefore this book argues the textiles represented on these sculptures offer a unique insight into the patterned splendour of the textiles in circulation during this period. This volume contributes to our knowledge of the textiles in circulation at that time by including the first comprehensive record of this body of sculpture, together with the textile patterns classified into a typology of styles within each chapter.
Publisher: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
ISBN: 9814881856
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 328
Book Description
There exist numerous free-standing figurative sculptures produced in Java between the eighth and fifteenth centuries whose dress display detailed textile patterns. This surviving body of sculpture, carved in stone and cast in metal, varying in both size and condition, remains in archaeological sites and museums in Indonesia and worldwide. The equatorial climate of Java has precluded any textiles from this period surviving. Therefore this book argues the textiles represented on these sculptures offer a unique insight into the patterned splendour of the textiles in circulation during this period. This volume contributes to our knowledge of the textiles in circulation at that time by including the first comprehensive record of this body of sculpture, together with the textile patterns classified into a typology of styles within each chapter.
Silk
Author: Berit Hildebrandt
Publisher: Oxbow Books
ISBN: 1785702807
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 421
Book Description
"Already in Greek and Roman antiquity a vibrant series of exchange relationships existed between the Mediterranean regions and China, including the Indian subcontinents along well-defined routes we call the Silk Roads. Among the many goods that found their way from East to West and vice versa were glass, wine, spices, metals like iron, precious stones as well as textile raw materials and fabrics and silk, a luxury item that was in great demand in the Roman Empire. These collected papers connect research from different areas and disciplines dealing with exchange along the Silk Roads. These historical, philological and archaeological contributions highlight silk as a commodity, gift and tribute, and as a status symbol in varying cultural and chronological contexts between East and West, including technological aspects of silk production. The main period concerns Rome and China in antiquity, ending in the late fifth century CE, with the Roman Empire being transformed into the Byzantine Empire, while the Chinese chronology covers the Han dynasty, the Three Kingdoms, the Western and Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms, ending in 420 CE. In addition, both earlier and later epochs are also considered in order to gather an understanding of developments and changes in long-distance and longer-term relations that involved silk."
Publisher: Oxbow Books
ISBN: 1785702807
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 421
Book Description
"Already in Greek and Roman antiquity a vibrant series of exchange relationships existed between the Mediterranean regions and China, including the Indian subcontinents along well-defined routes we call the Silk Roads. Among the many goods that found their way from East to West and vice versa were glass, wine, spices, metals like iron, precious stones as well as textile raw materials and fabrics and silk, a luxury item that was in great demand in the Roman Empire. These collected papers connect research from different areas and disciplines dealing with exchange along the Silk Roads. These historical, philological and archaeological contributions highlight silk as a commodity, gift and tribute, and as a status symbol in varying cultural and chronological contexts between East and West, including technological aspects of silk production. The main period concerns Rome and China in antiquity, ending in the late fifth century CE, with the Roman Empire being transformed into the Byzantine Empire, while the Chinese chronology covers the Han dynasty, the Three Kingdoms, the Western and Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms, ending in 420 CE. In addition, both earlier and later epochs are also considered in order to gather an understanding of developments and changes in long-distance and longer-term relations that involved silk."
Silk for the Vikings
Author: Marianne Vedeler
Publisher: Oxbow Books
ISBN: 1782972161
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 137
Book Description
The analysis of silk is a fascinating topic for research in itself but here, focusing on the 9th and 10th centuries, Marianne Vedeler takes a closer look at the trade routes and the organization of production, trade and consumption of silk during the Viking Age. Beginning with a presentation of the silk finds in the Oseberg burial, the richest Viking burial find ever discovered, the other silk finds from high status graves in Scandinavia are discussed along with an introduction to the techniques used to produce raw silk and fabrics. Later chapters concentrate on trade and exchange, considering the role of silk items both as trade objects and precious gifts, and in the light of coin finds. The main trade routes of silk to Scandinavia along the Russian rivers, and comparable Russian finds are described and the production and regulation of silk in Persia, early Islamic production areas and the Byzantine Empire discussed. The final chapter considers silk as a social actor in various contexts in Viking societies compared to the Christian west.
Publisher: Oxbow Books
ISBN: 1782972161
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 137
Book Description
The analysis of silk is a fascinating topic for research in itself but here, focusing on the 9th and 10th centuries, Marianne Vedeler takes a closer look at the trade routes and the organization of production, trade and consumption of silk during the Viking Age. Beginning with a presentation of the silk finds in the Oseberg burial, the richest Viking burial find ever discovered, the other silk finds from high status graves in Scandinavia are discussed along with an introduction to the techniques used to produce raw silk and fabrics. Later chapters concentrate on trade and exchange, considering the role of silk items both as trade objects and precious gifts, and in the light of coin finds. The main trade routes of silk to Scandinavia along the Russian rivers, and comparable Russian finds are described and the production and regulation of silk in Persia, early Islamic production areas and the Byzantine Empire discussed. The final chapter considers silk as a social actor in various contexts in Viking societies compared to the Christian west.