Textile analysis in Europe: current practices and future prognosis

This paper examines the knowledge base and application of textile analysis to archaeological and historical textiles. Textile analysis is a method and skill set applied to preserved archaeological and historical textiles to characterise yarn and fabric structure, and through this, an understanding of production techniques. Textiles are complex artefacts which have evolved through time and are therefore evidence of one of the major innovations and technologies of humanity. Analysis of textile structures is the foundation for classifying and dating textiles, connecting production to product, and identifying the range of evidence for textile technology. Textile analysis connects threads and textiles to production tools. These are the building blocks of textile and dress research. The skills of textile analysis are practiced and passed from one generation of specialist practitioners to the next.