Fragment of a block-printed cotton cloth dyed with a resist technique. India, 14th cenury, excavataed in Quseir al-Qadim, Red Sea coast, Egypt (TRC 2020.0272).During the last few weeks I have attended two international meetings about archaeological and historical textiles, clothing, and how to present them to different audiences.

Göttingen meeting

The first meeting was held on the 6-8 March 2025 in the Dept. of Archaeology, University of Göttingen, Germany and was organised by Dr. Berit Hildebrandt, a Classicist. The theme of the meeting was the Silk Road and had the title: The spread of sericulture and fine plant fibres along the Silk Roads in Antiquity, with outlooks on later epochs.

The Göttingen meeting was inter-disciplinary in nature and included linguists, classicists, historians, archaeologists, museum curators and conservation groups. Trying to understand ancient references to textiles, and in particular cotton, dominated the 1.5 day meeting.

There was an interesting range of short talks given about textiles, techniques, tools and uses from Egypt, India, Central Asia, China, etc. These included a short lecture about excavated textiles from Bukhara, Uzbekistan, and about the use of Chinese sources to work out where textiles were being made and how they were distributed. I also enjoyed a presentation about the history and role of the Krefeld Textile Museum (Germany) and learning about the origins of the museum as a teaching institute for textile techniques and design.

Small fagment of silk cloth (warp-faced compound cloth), China/Silk Road, c. 2nd century AD (TRC 2000.0009).

My talk was on the medieval cotton resist-dyed textiles from Quseir al-Qadim, Egypt, and their likely Indian origin. The Quseir pieces, now in the TRC Collection, are the only provenanced pieces of this type of cloth found in Egypt, and they are used to help date comparable textiles from other excavations in Egypt.

It was very interesting to learn that isotopic analysis techniques have now advanced to such a stage that it may be possible to test some of the Quseir pieces to identify where in India the cotton was grown. This technique has already been applied to other archaeological textiles and Magdalena Woźniak (who attended the meeting online from Poland) is going to see if we can have some Quseir pieces tested in this manner.

Funding will have to be found for this, but I think it would be worth while trying to find the funds (we will need about 2,000 euros, should anyone be willing to help out!).

Warsaw meeting

The second meeting, 20-21 March, was held in the Faculty of Archaeology, Warsaw University, Poland. The meeting had the title: HERITEX-HUB International Workshop “Textile Heritage and the Future.”

Embroidered panel that may be Polish in origin, late 19th - early 20th century, revently donated to the TRC (TRC 2025.0376b).

We had 1.5 days to discuss various aspects of textile heritage, to meet people from different backgrounds (heritage, research, museums, conservation) as well as listen to what other institutions are doing.

Unfortunately, the term ‘Textile Heritage’ was not defined in advance of the meeting. Perhaps this would have helped to streamline the presentations and discussions. There were various short presentations and comments about sustainability, landfills, the use of natural fibres versus artificial and synthetic forms, the need for quality versus degradable forms of cloth (you can have both, it is not a one or the other situation!), and there was considerable emphasis on repairing and mending. Basic sewing skills were not emphasised however, although there is no point in promoting the mending of garments if people no longer know how to hold a needle!

Something completely different, also in the TRC Collection: Football scarf UEFA 2012, Poland versus Ukraine (TRC 2025.0066).From my perspective, it was unfortunate that no one from the commercial or industrial textile and clothing worlds were present to give their points of view. However, there will soon be another meeting  (in Lisbon), where they will be represented.

The two meetings and the TRC

The two meetings in Germany and Poland made very clear to me, once again, the strengths and challenges of the TRC.

The TRC should continue and even expand its practical research and relevant teaching in order to pass on knowledge and skills, and, in general, to keep stressing how important it is for people to actually hold textiles in their hands.

In this respect, one of the great strengths of the TRC is its fantastic, world embracing collection. Let’s expand it into one of the best collections of textiles and dress in the world, always making sure it is accessible to all those who are seriously interested.

Accessibility, learning and inspiration is the basis of Citizen Culture (or Heritage if you would prefer) at work!

Gillian Vogelsang, 26 March 2025