Two textile remains from the Roman Iron Age

Abstract

Two textile remains from the Roman Iron Age

Two Jutish graves from the Roman Iron Age contained small textile fragments, each typical of its age.

One grave, from Elmelund in Vejle county, contained 2/2 twill, woven of s/s-spun yarn and with a thread count of 11/8 and 13/10 threads per cm. This analysis is typical for northern Jutland in the 1st century A.D., while the other find, from Ellidshøj in Aalborg county, is equally typical of the later Roman Iron Age, containing more varied techniques: 2/2 twill in hounds tooth spin-pattern, broken lozenge twill, and ordinary 2/2 twill. The spin direction is z/s, and the above mentioned hounds tooth spin-pattern. The thread counts are considerably higher than in the 1st century cloth: 14/12, 16/14 and 18-20/18-20 threads per cm.

These textile finds supplement a major investigation on Danish Roman Iron Age Textiles. (1).

Lise Bender Jørgensen