Papers by Sophia Vakirtzi
2023, Aελλόπος: τιμητικός τόμος για την Ίριδα Τζαχίλη
This paper presents the results of an interdisciplinary research on early wool craft in mainland ... more This paper presents the results of an interdisciplinary research on early wool craft in mainland and insular Greece between the 7th millennium (Early Neolithic) and the 3rd millennium B.C. (Early Bronze Age), a period devoid of textile remains in the archaeological record. An interdisciplinary methodology is implemented, combining zooarchaeology and technological analysis of textile tools. In the zooarchaeological approach, a synthetic reassessment of published caprine mortality profiles and sex ratios from Neolithic and Early Bronze Age sites is presented in order to detect patterns of flock construction. Furthermore, the Coefficient of Variation of published sheep bone measurements from the same contexts is estimated in order to trace skeleton size fluctuations attributable to sheep improvement efforts. Also, geometric morphometrics analysis is applied to sheep astragali from two case studies, Sitagroi, Drama, north Greece and Alepotrypa, Laconia, Peloponnese, south Greece, to identify changes in the sheep skeleton shape. In the technological approach, objects identified as spindle whorls in the archaeological literature regarding the periods in question are surveyed to detect significant shifts in the technological apparatus of yarn production in the period under study. The patterns deriving from the bibliographical survey as well as from a first-hand examination of tool assemblages from Sitagroi and Alepotrypa are discussed in the frame of the anthropology of technology. The technological approach also takes into consideration ethnographic data and the results of experimental archaeology published in the literature. The study concludes to a research hypothesis arguing for the possibility of wool craft being practiced already in the Greek Middle Neolithic (mid-6th millennium B.C.), and stresses the need for further interdisciplinary work to test this hypothesis.
Akrotiri, Thera. Forty Years of Research (1967-2007), 2021
The fourth decade (1997-2007) of archaeological activity at Akrotiri, Thera, saw the completion o... more The fourth decade (1997-2007) of archaeological activity at Akrotiri, Thera, saw the completion of the excavation of the shafts for the foundations of the pillars of the new bioclimatic shelter, and the satisfactory progress of study of the finds. Since the presentation of our excavation and research work at regular intervals is almost and institution, one more colloquium was organized in 2007, in order to present the particularly important new discoveries and the multifaceted scientific approach to the diverse issues arising from the recent excavations. Needless to say, our obligation to make known to the scholarly community, as well as to the general public, the significant work being carried out at Akrotiri could not be met fully without the publication of the proceedings of that meeting. in 2021, fourteen years after the 2007 colloquium, our initial aim was eventually fulfilled, with the publication of the Proceedings of the Two-day Colloquium on 40 Years of Research at Akrotiri (1967-2007). This exceptionally long delay, which was due to many and varied setbacks, certainly beyond our control, in no way diminishes the scientific interest of this volume, the contributions to which are the fruit of many years of research and experience in the scientific field, offering a rich body of new material and expressing interesting interpretations and fresh ideas. indeed, in order to reach as wide a readership as possible, it was decided to publish the book in english. The grouping of the articles in this volume in five thematic units follows the programme of the papers presented at the two-day colloquium. The introductory chapter 40 Years of Research, which precedes, is the compte rendu of work at Akrotiri over 40 consecutive years: excavation, conservation, documentation, infrastructure, management, protection and enhancement. The first thematic unit, Stratigraphy-Chronology, deals with the geology and terrain of the area in which the prehistoric settlement at Akrotiri developed, and sketches the gradual cultural development of the settlement during the Neolithic, early Cycladic and Middle Cycladic periods. in the second unit, Urban Planning and Architecture, relevant articles present a part of the large 'public' building Xeste 4, trace over time the constructional development of Building Complex delta from its founding to its final phase, propose the restoration of the picture of a quarter of the settlement in the northwest sector of the excavated site, attempt to remodel the open spaces and the drainagesewerage network of the city, and, last, attempt a 3d virtual reconstruction of Xeste 3. The third unit, Technology-Economy, refers to important productive activities and attempts to link some products with the economy. Presented are the preliminary results of an interesting study of inorganic material found in small quantities, mainly as residues on the surface of stone tools. Most samples are related to pigments, which were used widely for colouring the outside of the buildings and for the decoration of their interior spaces with wall-paintings, as well as to produce even cosmetics. The finding of a quantity of pulverized quartz suggest the possibility of local production of faience. The confirmation of the widespread use of zeolite points to its use in diverse applications, such as detergent, disinfectant, filtering. At Akrotiri, the preservation of textiles is a unique challenge for studying the technology of spinning and weaving, as attested by tools of cloth production-spindle whorls and loom-weights-and by actual textiles. 6. bARbER 1991, 42-54. 7. MåRTENSSoN et al. 2009. 8. I thank Dr A. Devetzi for observations on the material of the stone spindle whorls. 9. bERNAbò-bREA 1976, 280; bARbER 1991, 303. The term 'hollowed' is preferred in the publication of Ayia Irini, see for example DAVIS 1986, pl. 38: d.
Światowit, 2019
Fibre crafts are among the oldest technological practices of mankind. Although commonly associate... more Fibre crafts are among the oldest technological practices of mankind. Although commonly associated with textile manufacture, twisted fibres in the form of threads have always had a wider range of use in everyday life. Strings and ropes constitute a humble but essential category of fibre products deriving from the same technology and organic matter as threads. Due to their organic nature, however, they are rarely preserved in the archaeological record, unless special environmental conditions occur. This paper explores the research potential of the imprints of threads and strings in a study focusing on the alternative uses of fibre-spun artefacts. The focus is on the Bronze Age Aegean imprints of threads and strings preserved on objects made of clay and on wall paintings recovered at Akrotiri on Thera. The technical properties of the original threads and strings are evaluated through observation of their imprints, and the fibre technology used for their production is assessed. The met...
My lecture aims to discuss human group identities in the insular world of the Aegean through the ... more My lecture aims to discuss human group identities in the insular world of the Aegean through the lens of textile craftsmanship. The time frame is the Bronze Age, a chronological period of about 2000 years. The first half, the Early Bronze Age, saw the transformation of small, insular communities into urban centers and their primary role in fostering interregional contacts. The second half of the period, the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, are marked by the emergence of "central administrations" on Crete and the southern Greek mainland, the affluence of harbor-towns throughout the archipelago, and the emergence of elites. 1 3 rd -2 nd millennia BC Artistic representations of clothed human figures from the Bronze Age Aegean (images not to scale) Thermi, Lesvos, 3 rd mill. BC (Lamb 1936) Syros, Cyclades, 3 rd mill. BC (NAM 2007) Myrtos -Phournou Koryfi, Crete, 3 rd mill. BC (Warren 1972) Thera, Cyclades, 2 nd mill. BC (Doumas 1992) Petsofas, Crete, 2 nd mill. BC (Myres 1950) Haghia Triadha, Crete, 2 nd mill. BC (The Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, 2005) Spinners, Amorgos, Cyclades, early 20 th century AD (Baud-Bovy and Boissonas 1919) But as I mentioned, today's lecture will not focus on textile consumption, as a marker of social roles. I will be discussing the craftspeople who produced textiles and how we can gain insights into the collective identities they assumed. Through the material remains of thread and cloth manufacture, prehistoric textile artisans have left imprints of their collective, historical presence. Textile tools are signifiers of their primary identity as craftspeople. However, this identity interplayed with several other layers of cultural or social definitions such as cultural origin, social status, gender or age. And textile craftmanship of the Bronze Age insular Aegean provides us with a vivid example of how collective identities were shaped or negotiated. 3 rd -2 nd millennia BC Spindle whorls, Poliochni, Lemnos (Bernabò-Brea 1976) Ivory spindles with whorls Perati, Attica, late 2nd mill. (Iakovidis 1980) Loomweights, various types Linear A script, logogram AB 54 In the spatio-temporal frame under discussion, the most common archaeological indicators of thread and cloth manufacture are the remains of spindles and looms, namely spindle whorls and the weights of the warp-weighted loom type. The spindles were thin rods probably made of wood with a whorl fixed on one distal end. Fibers such as wool or flax were attached on the tip of the spindles, and as they were set to twirl, the fibers were twisted into thread. In this process, the whorls acted as flywheels and added momentum to the rotation of the spindle. Spindles are rarely found complete, usually when they are made of durable materials. The lack of whorls from the archaeological record may imply either that they must have been made of perishable materials, or that they were not used, given that spindles can operate without them. Alternatively, threads may be made without spindles, just by joining fibres from end to end and twisting by hand the joints, in a technique called splicing. Loomweights, likewise, are just the surviving parts of a certain type of weaving device. In its complete form, such a device might have looked like this Linear A symbol, which could have been inspired by the Aegean warp-weighted loom. Loomweights are not always recovered in excavations.
Τὸ 2018 συνεχίστηκαν γιὰ πέμπτη καὶ τελευταία χρονιὰ οἱ ἐργασίες τοῦ πενταετοῦς προγράμματος μελέ... more Τὸ 2018 συνεχίστηκαν γιὰ πέμπτη καὶ τελευταία χρονιὰ οἱ ἐργασίες τοῦ πενταετοῦς προγράμματος μελέτης καὶ δημοσίευσης τῶν προϊστορι κῶν Τύμβων Βρανᾶ Μαραθῶνος, οἱ ὁποῖοι ἀνεσκάφησαν ἀπὸ τὸν Σπ. Μα ρινᾶτο. Ἡ μελέτη διεξήχθη ὑπὸ τὴ διεύθυνση τῆς ὁμότιμης καθηγή τριας τοῦ Πανεπιστημίου Ἀθηνῶν κυρίας Μαρίας Παντελίδου Γκόφα, καὶ τοὺς μό νιμους ἐπιστημονικοὺς συνεργάτες τοῦ προγράμματος, ἀρχαιολόγους Gilles Touchais 1 , Ἄννα ΦίλιππαTouchais 2 καὶ Νίκο Παπαδημητρίου 3 .
The Competition of Fibres, pp. 111-126, 2020
Paperback Edition: A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Co... more Paperback Edition: A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Control Number: 2020932451 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher in writing.
Akrotiri, Thera. Middle Bronze Age pottery and Stratigraphy. Vols. I-II. The Archaeological Society at Athens Library Series Nos 318-319., 2019
"First Textiles. The beginnings of Textile Manufacture in Europe and the Mediterranean" edited by M. Siennicka, L. Rahmstorf and A. Ulanowska, 2018
Papadopoulos, S., Palli, O., Vakirtzi, S. and Psathi, E. 2018 Aghios Ioannis, Thassos : The Economy of a Small Coastal Site Dated to the Second Half of the 4th Millenium BC, in S. Dietz, F. Mavridis and Z. Tankocic (eds.) "Communities in Transition", Oxbow 2018, 357-366.
Vakirtzi, S., Koukouli-Chrysanthaki C., Papadopoulos S. Spindle whorls from two prehistoric sites on Thassos, in Harlow, M., Michel, C. and Nosch, M.L. (eds.) Prehistoric, Ancient Near Eastern and Aegean Textiles and Dress. An interdisciplinary anthology, Oxbow Books 2014, pp. 43-57 The economic importance of fibre crafts in prehistoric communities is manifested by the spindle w... more The economic importance of fibre crafts in prehistoric communities is manifested by the spindle whorls which usually appear in abundance during the excavation of settlements. Ropes, cords and yarn for weaving can be manufactured from plant or animal fibres, with various techniques, 1 one of which requires the implementation of the spindle. 2 The spindle does not survive in the archaeological record since it is usually made of wood, a perishable material. 3 Spindle whorls, however, are traditionally and cross-culturally made of clay, stone or bone, 4 and have much better chances of good archeological preservation. For this reason they constitute one of the most critical categories of archaeological data for the study of prehistoric yarn production. They are technological, economic and cultural markers of a craft which is otherwise archaeologically invisible.
Books by Sophia Vakirtzi
Yarn Production in the Aegean : a study of typology, functionality and distribution of spindle wh... more Yarn Production in the Aegean : a study of typology, functionality and distribution of spindle whorls found in settlements and cemeteries. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Crete, 2015.
Postdoctoral research by Sophia Vakirtzi
Το διεπιστημονικό μεταδιδακτορικό πρόγραμμα στοχεύει στη διερεύνηση των συνθηκών εμφάνισης της ερ... more Το διεπιστημονικό μεταδιδακτορικό πρόγραμμα στοχεύει στη διερεύνηση των συνθηκών εμφάνισης της εριουργίας στο Αιγαίο και τον ηπειρωτικό Ελλαδικό χώρο κατά τη Νεολιθική περίοδο (7η - 4η χιλιετία π.Χ.) και την Πρώιμη Χαλκοκρατία (3η χιλιετία π.Χ.). Το κοινωνικο-οικονομικό πλαίσιο της εκμετάλλευσης του τριχώματος των αιγοπροβάτων για την κλωστοϋφαντουργία των κοινοτήτων που διαβιούσαν στα νησιά του Αιγαίου και στον ηπειρωτικό ελλαδικό χώρο σχετίζεται με κομβικά ερευνητικά ζητήματα της Αιγαιακής προϊστορίας, όπως οι γεωργο-κτηνοτροφικές πρακτικές των Νεολιθικών κοινοτήτων, η ανάδυση της τεχνικής εξειδίκευσης και του καταμερισμού εργασίας και η διαμόρφωση των πολιτικών οικονομιών των ανακτορικών κέντρων της 2ης χιλιετίας π.Χ. Σε αυτό το πρόγραμμα διεξάγεται πρωτογενής έρευνα σε περιπτώσεις μελέτης όπου αξιολογούνται αρχαιολογικά και βιοαρχαιολογικά δεδομένα τα οποία συνιστούν οικονομικούς και τεχνολογικούς δείκτες της προϊστορικής εριουργίας, συνεκτιμώντας σχετική εθνογραφική έρευνα και πειραματικές εφαρμογές.
Conference presentations by Sophia Vakirtzi
Τί εικόνες, μυρωδιές ή άλλες αισθήσεις έφερναν στο νου τους οι νησιώτες και οι νησιώτισσες όταν σ... more Τί εικόνες, μυρωδιές ή άλλες αισθήσεις έφερναν στο νου τους οι νησιώτες και οι νησιώτισσες όταν σκεφτόντουσαν, κουβέντιαζαν ή έψαχναν για τα υλικά της υφαντικής; Τί μπορεί να άγγιζαν, να μύριζαν, να έβλεπαν, σαν αποτέλεσμα της εργασίας και της προετοιμασίας όσων χρειάζονταν να γίνουν, προτού φτάσουν τα νήματα στον αργαλειό; Πώς μπορούμε σήμερα εμείς να φανταστούμε τα τοπία που διαμόρφωναν οι πρώτες ύλες της υφαντικής, και η αναζήτησή τους στα νησιά, μέσα στη μακρά διάρκεια της ιστορίας, από τα τέλη της νεολιθικής περιόδου, μέχρι και την πρώιμη νεότερη εποχή; Με αυτά τα ερωτήματα να μας καθοδηγούν, θα συζητήσουμε παραδείγματα νησιωτικών τοπίων, διαμορφωμένων από την εργασία για την προμήθεια υφαντικών πρώτων υλών.
Uploads
Papers by Sophia Vakirtzi
Books by Sophia Vakirtzi
Postdoctoral research by Sophia Vakirtzi
Conference presentations by Sophia Vakirtzi
Some of the most common spindle whorl motifs and designs, such as the zig-zag, the six-pointed star, concentric circles, chevrons, triangles (often hatched), dotted borders, are also found in the Aegean seal motifs repertoire. Spindle whorls and seals are distinct classes of Aegean material culture: the whorls were the tools of an essential textile craft, spinning thread, and their motifs were usually incised, and less often impressed or stamped on wet clay. Seals were part of the technology employed in sealing practices for administrative purposes, control of various resources, transactions, or signification of ownership/identity. Their motifs were usually (but not exclusively) carved on materials harder than clay, such as stone or ivory.
Notwithstanding these distinctions, the manufacturers of both classes of objects were often drawing from a common repertoire of designs. The purpose of this paper is to bring to attention the ubiquitous motifs on these two different media in the Aegean Bronze Age cultures and to discuss whether analysis of seal motifs may inform our understanding of the potential function or meaning of motifs on spindle whorls.