The ‘Textile culture at Pompeii’ Project

There are various indications for textile production in the ancient city of Pompeii and its vicinity, but archaeological research was mainly focused on corresponding features in the urban structures so far. In this regard it has to be noted that the textiles themselves have only met little interest. The same applies to the elements of dress preserved as impressions on the so-called calchi. This apparent lack is remarkable, as the textile evidences from the Vesuvian area can not only be dated exactly, but also because they provide the possibility of a comparison of one type of material in different variants of preservation. In order to fill this lacuna the Research Project “Cultura Tessile a Pompei” was initiated. The aim of this multidisciplinary project is to provide new input to the ongoing debate on the significance of textile economy in the Vesuvian area in antiquity by looking on textile culture as a whole. Investigations on the spinning and weaving contexts and materials were carried out by M. Galli and C. Lemorini; selected examples of both calchi and textiles are evaluated by S. Mitschke and F. Coletti. The possibility of carrying out archaeometric analysis on textile micro-samples sheds light on local and imported goods as well as standardized and high quality textile products. By this means it can be stated that the results of these multidisciplinary research activities clearly reveal untapped potential in this field.