Not currently on display at the V&A

Textile Fragment

4th Century - 6th Century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This fairly long length of undyed linen is plain woven with stripes of 'open' warp threads where there have been no insertion of weft threads. It is said to have been found at Hawara. Hawara is an archaeological site of Ancient Egypt, south of the site of Crocodilopolis (Arsinoe) at the entrance to the depression of the Fayum oasis. Egyptian women in the first millennium commonly wore hairnets made in this type of weave.

William Flinders Petrie, the father of English Egyptology, excavated at Hawara in 1888 and 1889, where he discovered cemeteries that had been used from the Ptolemaic period until at least the sixth century AD.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Plain woven linen
Brief description
Fragment, plain woven linen, Hawara, Egypt, Late Antique, possibly 4th Century - 6th Century
Physical description
Length of fine linen in plain weave where stripes of warp threads have been left 'open' (i.e. they have not been woven up by the insertion of weft threads). This weave is made by placing a long pin through the shed and leaving it there while 8 or 9 throws of weft are made above the pin, then taking out the pin, replacing it in new shed and repeating wherever an open weave is required.
Dimensions
  • Length: 60cm
  • Width: 24cm
Style
Credit line
Given by University College, London
Object history
This object was part of a large donation by University College, London in 1976 / 1977, most of which likely originate from W M Flinders Petrie's excavations at Hawara in 1888-89.
Production
Found at Hawara
Summary
This fairly long length of undyed linen is plain woven with stripes of 'open' warp threads where there have been no insertion of weft threads. It is said to have been found at Hawara. Hawara is an archaeological site of Ancient Egypt, south of the site of Crocodilopolis (Arsinoe) at the entrance to the depression of the Fayum oasis. Egyptian women in the first millennium commonly wore hairnets made in this type of weave.

William Flinders Petrie, the father of English Egyptology, excavated at Hawara in 1888 and 1889, where he discovered cemeteries that had been used from the Ptolemaic period until at least the sixth century AD.
Collection
Accession number
T.216-1977

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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