Unwrapping textile culture in southern Italy: evidence from Classical and Hellenistic Sicily

Abstract

Archaeological textiles are rare in Sicily, except under specific environmental conditions, as the Sicilian climate is not conducive to the preservation of organic materials. Consequently, the study of textile culture in Sicily has primarily relied on the analysis of textile tools, which, in contrast, are both abundant and ubiquitous. This study presents the results of the analysis of textile remains recovered from the cemeteries of Vassallaggi (San Cataldo-Caltanissetta, Sicily) and Lipari (Aeolian islands, Sicily), located in central and northern Sicily, respectively. It offers the opportunity to examine the fifth-third century BC textile production at two sites on the island. The textiles have survived in a mineralised form as a result of direct contact with metal objects. The fabrics were mainly wrapped around grave goods — including urns containing cremated remains, the ashes, and items such as strigils and knives. The practice of wrapping grave objects was a well-documented funerary custom in Italy and Greece from as early as the Iron Age. In Sicily, it was observed among certain Greek and local communities during the Classical and Hellenistic periods. All textile fragments were examined using a digital microscope to analyse fabric structures, including weave types and thread characteristics. Fibre types were then identified through the use of a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results allowed us to shed light on the textile culture in Classical and Hellenistic Sicily, placing it in the wider Mediterranean context. Moreover, the funerary practice of wrapping grave goods provided valuable insights into the role of textiles in contexts of cultural interactions, as well as the ways in which local communities expressed their social and cultural affiliations.