“When sorted and cleaned may prove of great interest”

Abstract

Te Papa holds a collection of 17 textile fragments acquired in 1914 from the Egypt Exploration Fund. These fragments were excavated from the site of Antinoopolis in Egypt during the 1913–1914 season of fieldwork, carried out under the direction of John de Monins Johnson. They derive from items of dress and soft furnishings dating from the first millennium CE (the Roman Period and Early Arabic Period in Egypt). The objectives of this study were to identify the original textiles that the fragments derive from and their dates of manufacture and use, all within the context of the story of Antinoopolis. As part of the study, the textile fragments were examined according to standard modern practice. The study was carried out as an extension of recent work undertaken by institutions in the United Kingdom in particular the Whitworth Art Gallery, on the textiles recovered from Johnson’s excavation, most of which are held in collections in the United Kingdom. The Te Papa study is significant in that it adds to this body of work. In addition, the collection is a valuable resource for education and research.