The present paper focuses on the role of textile production on the stretch of coast from Taranto to Herakleia from the end of the Hellenistic period to the Roman republican period. Thousands of loom weights from several houses in Herakleia were analysed and compared with data from other settlements in the area. The identification of many houses with two looms in the town has led to the hypothesis that urban households produced textiles for export, as also indicated by the epigrams of Leonidas of Taras. The detailed study of the decorations and names inscribed on the loom weights was enriched by calculating the thread thickness and the quality of the fabrics. In contrast, it is argued that textile production in the rural hinterland was limited to self-supply, any surplus being sent to the main settlement where it was processed by professional labourers.
The Textile Economy on the Gulf of Taranto in the 3rd-1st centuries BCE
MEO, FRANCESCO
2016-01-01
Abstract
The present paper focuses on the role of textile production on the stretch of coast from Taranto to Herakleia from the end of the Hellenistic period to the Roman republican period. Thousands of loom weights from several houses in Herakleia were analysed and compared with data from other settlements in the area. The identification of many houses with two looms in the town has led to the hypothesis that urban households produced textiles for export, as also indicated by the epigrams of Leonidas of Taras. The detailed study of the decorations and names inscribed on the loom weights was enriched by calculating the thread thickness and the quality of the fabrics. In contrast, it is argued that textile production in the rural hinterland was limited to self-supply, any surplus being sent to the main settlement where it was processed by professional labourers.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
