Prehistoric Textiles: The Development of Cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages with Special Reference...

— —

E. J.W. Barber

Prehistoric Textiles

The Development of Cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages with Special Reference to the Aegean...

E. J.W. Barber

$145

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Princeton University Press
03 January 1993

History of engineering & technology; Leather & fur technology; Textile & fibre technology

This pioneering work revises our notions of the origins and early development of textiles in Europe and the Near East. Using innovative linguistic techniques, along with methods from palaeobiology and other fields, it shows that spinning and pattern weaving began far earlier than has been supposed. Prehistoric Textiles made an unsurpassed leap in the social and cultural understanding of textiles in humankind's early history. Cloth making was an industry that consumed more time and effort, and was more culturally significant to prehistoric cultures, than anyone assumed before the book's publication. The textile industry is in fact older than pottery--and perhaps even older than agriculture and stockbreeding. It probably consumed far more hours of labor per year, in temperate climates, than did pottery and food production put together. And this work was done primarily by women. Up until the Industrial Revolution, and into this century in many peasant societies, women spent every available moment spinning, weaving, and sewing.

The author, Elizabeth Wayland Barber, demonstrates command of an almost unbelievably disparate array of disciplines--from historical linguistics to archaeology and paleobiology, from art history to the practical art of weaving. Her passionate interest in the subject matter leaps out on every page. Barber, a professor of linguistics and archaeology, developed expert sewing and weaving skills as a small girl under her mother's tutelage. One could say she had been born and raised to write this book. Because modern textiles are almost entirely made by machines, we have difficulty appreciating how time-consuming and important the premodern textile industry was. This book opens our eyes to this crucial area of prehistoric human culture.

By: E. J.W. Barber
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 241mm, Width: 191mm, Spine: 38mm
Weight: 907g
ISBN: 9780691002248
ISBN 10: 069100224X
Pages: 512
Publication Date: 03 January 1993
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

E.J.W. Barber is Professor of Linguistics and Archaeology at Occidental College and is a handweaver. Prehistoric Textiles won the Millia Davenport Publication Award of the Costume Society of America.

Reviews for Prehistoric Textiles: The Development of Cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages with Special Reference to the Aegean

This monumental study embraces linguistic and archaeological investigations, practical knowledge of weaving, palaeobiology, and other arcane sciences to trace the development of cloth. -- Washington Post Book World Packed full of useful and intriguing information ... also remarkably well written. This conjunction of virtues advances archaeological understanding of textiles and their social and cultural implications a giant step. -- Trudy S. Kawami, Science An exhilarating book. As the first comprehensive account of one of humanity's oldest industries, it will be a basic tool for archaeologists... -- Helen Hughes Brock, Antiquity

Winner of American Historical Association James Henry Breasted Prize 1993
Winner of American Historical Association James Henry Breasted Prize 1993.
Winner of American Historical Association's James Henry Breasted Prize 1993.
Winner of Davenport Publication Award 1992 (United States)
Winner of James Henry Breasted Prize of the American Historical Association 1993 (United States)