Identifying the Materials in Archaeological Textiles

Abstract

Given their organic origin, textiles rank among the rarest archaeological finds. While the vast majority of these artefacts are preserved as small fragments or mineralised remnants, their detailed textile technology study provides interesting and important information about the use of textile techniques and the quality of processing. The most important information concerns the utilised textile materials, but for degraded textiles, these materials are among the most difficult information to obtain. Image analysis using electron microscopy (SEM) is a significant aide in this pursuit.