From the parochial to the universal: comparing cloth cultures in the Bronze Age

The aim of this research is to compare the cloth cultures of Europe and Egypt in the Bronze Age and New Kingdom. The comparison focuses on the fourteenth century BC and includes four geographically separate areas including the oak coffin burials of southern Scandinavia, the Hallstatt salt mines of central Europe, the Final Palace period of Crete and the tombs and towns of the later eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. The comparative approach can bring insights even when applied to unconnected cultures or regions. However, in this study I concentrate on a restricted chronological period and areas that were connected, directly or indirectly, by widespread networks of trade or exchange. The concept of cloth cultures is used to include both textiles and animal skins as these were closely related materials in the prehistoric past. Information is gathered according to the following categories: raw materials including textile fibre and species of skins, fabric structure and thread count (only for textiles), decoration and finish, use and context. From this study it is possible to recognize the universally shared principles of cloth cultures and the great versatility and creativity in the regional cloth cultures of the Bronze Age.