TexMeroe · Archaeology of Textile Production in the Kingdom of Meroe New approaches to cultural identity and economics in ancient Sudan and Nubia

Archaeology of Textile Production in the Kingdom of MeroeNew approaches to cultural identity and economics in ancient Sudan and Nubia

The Sudanese Meroitic kingdom (c. 350 BCE – 550 CE) is well-known for its impressive displays of royal power on the walls of its temples and pyramids, but many aspects of its history, such as its social organisation, economic system, and political mechanisms, still remain in the shadows. In the absence of relevant historical texts, the archaeological study of crafts - especially of textiles - can shed light on these fundamental components of ancient societies in Sudan and Nubia. The study of textile artifacts and production encompasses a great range of key issues, from agriculture and manufacturing techniques, to the organisation of labour and trade, all the way to the definition and communication of social status. The goal of the TexMeroe project was to gain a better knowledge about the Meroitic society through the understanding of the cultural specificities and economic bases of textile production. The Meroitic weavers developed a unique textile tradition which represents a remarkable synthesis between the traits of both local Sub-Saharan cultures and the Pharaonic and Hellenistic worlds. TexMeroe focused on three different techniques: the openwork lattices, the looped pile weave, and the use of colours and dyes. Used by themselves or combined on the same fabric, these techniques are characteristic to ancient Sudan and define the relationship that existed between craft and cultural identity. Textile activities also occupied a crucial position in the Meroitic economy, which we picture today as typical of the Sahelian regions with shifting patterns of production between sedentary and pastoral groups, political centralisation and redistribution of goods. The textile industry can be used as a magnifying lens to test our economic hypotheses with new and quantifiable material data. The project studied the production and use of cotton fibre, the distribution of textile tools in the urban landscape of Central Sudan, and the different mechanisms of demands, consumption, and exchange of textiles. The results shed light on a long chaîne opératoire and a multi-form textile economy, from agriculture to trade, from settlement level to the entire kingdom. The project was the first comprehensive study of Meroitic textiles encompassing all available archaeological sources (textiles, tools, archaeobotanical remains, and iconography) and considering the full chronological and geographical extent of the kingdom. It filled a gap of knowledge about ancient Sudan and Nubia, highlighting a previously unknown sector of the economy and constituting a new approach in the field of Meroitic archaeology. By focusing on textiles and clothing, the project added a much more intimate and colourful dimension to the Sudanese past and cultural heritage.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз