This book originates from an international conference that took place in Gothenburg, Sweden in April 2024. It brings together researchers from all over Europe working with the production and use of sails, maritime textiles, rigging, ropes, and clothing for seafaring as we know them from a different array of archaeological, historical, and textual evidence. Maritime textiles are seldom the focus of dedicated events; additionally, much research is normally carried out at museum institutions working with reconstruction of ancient vessels and not further discussed in academic settings. The meeting was designed to promote room for discussion and contribute to the formulation of new strategies and approaches for future research and this volume presents both case studies and wider discussions exploring four key themes: sails and sail production from the Bronze Age to the 18th century; boat technology and the significance of ropes and rigging; dressing for the sea; and the contribution of archaeozoology and archaeobotany for our understanding of prehistoric maritime textile production. The geographical coverage is Scandinavia to the Mediterranean and contributors address the themes using a variety of source materials based on archaeological, classical literature, documentary, and experimental research.
Such a collection of papers is the first of its kind. Research about sails, sailcloths, ropes, and rigging is extensive, but dealt with at various levels and often by researchers working in museums; the interest that the conference in Gothenburg received is a good indicator of the need for dedicated fora on the topic and this book should become a milestone in this respect.
Introduction: Sailing textiles, trade, and seafaring in Bronze Age Western Mediterranean
Serena Sabatini
Part 1: Sails and sail production from the Bronze Age to the 18th century
2. Sailing in the Aegean Bronze Age
Tina Boloti
3. Looking for sail making in the Bronze Age Aegean
Maria Emanuela Alberti & Angiolo Querci
4. Sail and sail materials in Scandinavia and Atlantic Europe before Christ
Boel Bengtsson
5. A view from across the Atlantic: What debates regarding sail technology in the Americas can tell us about Bronze Age watercraft in Scandinavia
Mikael Fauvelle
6. On the trail of Roman sailcloth
Laure Meunier
7. Sail production in the Roman world
Madelaine Miller
8. Manufacture and use of reconstructions of square-sails of wool
Vibeke Bischoff, Triona Sørensen & Sune Krohn
9. A discussion about linen cloth and sailcloth from the 17th century
Marie Ekstedt Bjersing
10. The art of sail making in Malta
Claire Bonavia
11. Sail-making and sailcloth in the 18th century
Marius Borg Heggedal & Jörn Bohlmann
Part 2: Boat technology and the significance of ropes and rigging
12. Evidence of textile practices in the western mediterranean boats: from the sewing of the ship’s hull to the needs of the journey
Carmen Alfaro, Macarena Bustamante, & Rafael Sabio González
13. Sailing textiles of a 14th-century cog: raw materials, production and function
Riina Rammo
14. Conservation of 14th-century cordage from Lootsi 8 shipwreck and overview of chosen methods
Maria Pommer
15. Bast Rope Configuration
Olof Pipping
16. Cordage through millennia; change of materials, techniques and knowledge
Jörn Bohlmann
Part 3: Dressing for the sea
17. Dressed for sea travels in Late Iron Age and Viking Age Scandinavia
Eva Andersson Strand
Part 4: The contribution of archaeozoology and archaeobotany for our understanding of prehistoric maritime textile production
18. Sailing through time: tracing the roots of Nordic seafaring with a pollen perspective
Morten Mortensen Fischer, Lisbeth Prøsch- Danielsen & Per Lagerås
19. Late Iron Age sheep husbandry and wool production in Late Iron Age Denmark: biomolecular evidence and perspectives
Jonas Holm Jæger
Serena Sabatini is Associate Professor of Archaeology at the University of Gothenburg and a scholar of European and Mediterranean Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Studies. Her research focuses on the study of production and long-distance trade and exchange of metal, wool, and textiles; she is also extensively working with mobility and aDNA of both humans and animals. Through the years she has been working in various ways with burial practices, issues of social complexity, identity, and the study of the early urban phenomenon in southern Europe through an interdisciplinary perspective.
