About myself
My name is Ronja Lau, I am a prehistoric archaeologist from Berlin, Germany and I specialised in textile archaeology. Since my Master's degree, I have been working mainly on the Central European Iron Age and now have a whole mine full of fabrics at my disposal for my doctoral thesis. Mining archaeology is well represented at the Ruhr University Bochum and works hand in hand with the Keltenmuseum Hallein (Austria) and the Natural History Museum Vienna. I somehow belong to all these institutions. I currently live in Austria and am working exclusively on recording the material of my textile finds. In textile archaeology, you almost have to be a jack of all trades. An ‘eierlegende Wollmilchsau’ as we would call it in German. It is very interdisciplinary research and requires a lot of expertise. Unfortunately, you can't study the subject directly anywhere, so you learn a lot and are in close contact with colleagues throughout Europe. I only recently learnt how exactly I can operate an SEM and use it for my research.
About my research
As a textile archaeologist, I deal with rare organic finds from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages. For my dissertation I try to wrap my head around the textile production of Iron Age people living on top of an Austrian mountain. At the Dürrnberg the “Celts” developed an enormous wealth due to the salt trade. And that’s where I get my chance! Inside the salt mine of Dürrnberg, used from 600 to 100 BC, there are more than 600 archaeological textile finds. All preserved because of the salt. They are in almost perfect condition: colourful, flexible and sometimes heavily worn.
Different kinds of dyed, patterned, and used textile finds from Dürrnberg salt mine
According to current research, most of the textiles date from the late Hallstatt to the early La Tène period. There is therefore no other place where this cultural change can be traced exactly. The prehistoric salt mine consists of three main areas: Georgenberg, Ferro and Obersteinberg. Most of the current known textile finds are from the Ferro. Inside the Heidengebirge a secondary-rocksalt debris the archaeological finds are preserved. The textiles known to date have mostly come into the mine as recycled material. Their context within the mine is therefore difficult to grasp.
This project aims at the complete textile archaeological documentation of all textile finds and should form a reliable database for evaluation. The technical data will be used to answer questions about quality, production, resources, chronology and typology. Common data such as spinning direction, angle of twist, thread diameter, weave density and cover factor are collected from the findings for the first time. The work is strongly orientated towards the Hallstatt finds in order to be able to compare the content of both complexes later on.
The basis of textile research has been standardised in recent decades. These include methods such as digital microscopy, fibre analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), microstratigraphy, and wool fineness. Digital microscopes (such as the DinoLite with the DinoCapture software) are used for basic textile analysis and photographic documentation, for measurements of fibre diameters, twist angles, and weave densities. Further details of the textile, such as twist directions, irregularities, selvedges, stitches, etc., are also better viewed through the microscope.
Me at the SEM in Vienna at the Natural History Museum
Fibre analysis with the SEM is also an important part of the work. I primarily determine which plant or animal fibres we find in the textiles. At the same time, however, the degree of wear and tear on the fibres is always noticeable. You can often see with the naked eye that the textiles have been used. Holes, patches, tears and cursed areas are among the most common traces. But you can also see evidence under the microscope. With sheep's wool fibres, I usually expect to see the characteristic scales on the surface.
SEM sample of sheep wool from the salt mine, where the scale structure is visible
However, some of the threads and fibres are so worn that the surface of the fibre is as smooth as glass. No scales or similar structures can be recognised. If you look at an entire thread under the SEM, you can see the wear on the outside of the thread. On the inside, where the fibres are more protected and do not come into contact with other materials as much, the scale structures are even more visible.
SEM sample of sheep wool from the salt mine, where the scale structure is worn and almost not visible
Unfortunately, there are no whole items of clothing preserved in the salt. However, it is very likely that the majority of the finds were once clothing and were then recycled down to the smallest detail. As packaging, wound dressings, padding and so on. Amazingly enough, what is left still looks ‘usable’. This is probably also due to the good quality of the textiles. Fine wool, twisted threads and tightly woven ensure that the fabrics last a long time. This micro-wear corresponds to the assumption that the textiles were reused down to the last shred in the mine.
SEM samples from different wool and plant fibres
As the salt mine forms a problematic archaeological context for the adequate interpretation of textile finds (above all due to the secondary use of the fabrics), mineralised find material from the graves should be consulted. Mineralised textile remains offer various possibilities. As they are found in the context of a burial, the interpretation of the finds is usually clearer and is related to humans and possible clothing. Furthermore, textiles in burials can reveal other uses that represent the everyday need for fabric. These include pouches for cremated remains, wrappings for objects or shrouds. It is highly likely that the textile details reveal similarities and differences to textiles that may have served another purpose.
More than 400 graves and burial complexes can be found around the salt mine. Some of the graves were lavishly furnished with imported goods such as gold, coral and other metals and must also have been richly decorated with textile grave goods in the past. Only mineralised fabric remains give us an insight into the burial rites. According to initial estimates, just over 250 fabric remains were found in the graves. These are attached to fibulae, belts, lances, daggers, knives, swords and fittings. Thanks to the more precise dating of the graves and the context of the finds, the textiles can be interpreted more reliably.
It is important to detect changes in the fibres. Even preserved by mineralisation or corrosion on metal objects, the fibres provide us with information about their wear and tear. This often raises the question of whether textiles found in the grave context were actually used in real life or whether they were made especially for burial. Signs of wear on the fibres can prove that these could also have been objects of everyday life. As I am still at the beginning of my work, I cannot yet answer this question for the Dürrnberg burials.
I’m very grateful to work on this project. The site is the biggest pre-Roman textile complex in Europe and will serve as a basis for further questions.
And finally, a small appeal:
Are you an excavator or archaeologist who finds textiles and doesn't know what to do with them? No problem, I'm happy to help!
Academia: https://rub.academia.edu/RonjaLau
Instagram: @_ronja_lau_
Further reading
Lau 2023: Hallstatt Period Fibre Analysis from Slovenian Burials
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