Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1962, Page 64

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ÁRBÖK FORNLEIFAFÉLAGSINS
Near Eastern and European (other than Icelandic)
Pile Woven Fabrics; Ancienl and Mediaeval.
From Sumerian dai/s to about 600 A. D. Pile weaving apparently dates
back to Sumerian days in Mesapotamia (ab. 3000 B.C.) (Fig. 9). Examples
of shaggy as weil as looped pile weaving liave been unearthed in Egypt
from as early as ab. 2000 B. C. (One example from this date was a piece of
coarse shaggy linen fabric; the ground fabric was woven in a basket
weave, the pile, each knot consisting of several threads, was inserted
around four warp threads in the manner of the Spanish knot, the rows of
the pile knots being separated by about ten picks of weft.) A shaggy
woollen cloak with sewn pile from ab. 1800 to 1500 B. C. was found in
Denmark. References were found to ancient Persian woollen pile mantles
which were in use in Asia Minor and Greece (ab. 445 B. C.), pile woven
fabrics and tunics which were in use in Imperial Rome, and extant Coptic
pile woven textiles from the 3rd to the 6th c. A. D. (Fig. 10). Besides,
íeferences were found indicating the use of shaggy cloaks among the Goths
and the Vandals (Fig. 12).
These references show that the making of pile fabrics was known in
ancient times in widely separated areas and that tliey varied considerably
os to technique used. Pile fabrics were most frequently used as covers and
outer garments, mostly cloaks. The pile on extant examples of pile fabrics
from this period is most frequently woven.
Western European pile weaving from about 600 to 1200. References
were found to remnants of woollen pile woven fabrics found at Valsgarde
in Sweden from ab. 750 (Fig. 13), at Kildonan on the Isle of Eigg west of
Scotland from ab. 850—900 (Fig. 14), at Jurby on the Isle of Man from ab.
900. Besides, remnants of woollen pile fabrics, where the method of insert-
ing the pile is undetermined, were found at Birka in Sweden from ab.
950, and a piece of shaggy curly woollen fabric, according to tradition of
Irish origin (the „mantle of St. Brigid“) is kept in a relic in a church
in Bruges; it is either pile woven or napped.
Written sources indicated that shaggy mantles had been in use in nortli
western Europe during the Viking age. The Frisians were the main
traders from ab. 600 to 900; sources from the 8th c. mention among Frisian
textiles rough hairy fahrics, villosa, as well as villosa mantles. During
the time of the Frisian trade the Irisli produced and exported to the conti-
nent a hairy mantle, the cocula. A source from ab. 1070 mentions woollen
garments, faldones, whicli the Saxons sold to the Prussians in return for
marten skins; it has been suggested that the faldones rather than being
of Saxon, Frisian or Flemish production were Icelandic vararfeldir. From
the late 12th c. reference was found to sliaggy cloaks, phalinga, being
used in Ireland. Phalinga, Latin for falaing or fállain, was said to be
derived from the English word falding (a coarse woollen fahric or gar-
ments or coverings of the same) but no reference to the word falding
was found until the late 14th c. Because of this tlie Engiish word might
perhaps rather be expected to have been derived from the Irish; the