EXARC Journal (Nov 2021)
Ancient Greek Weaving, Experimental Archeology on Greek Textiles and Household GDP
Abstract
This paper outlines the experimental weaving project of an ancient Greek chlamys to investigate the weaving production capacity of a typical household and reconstruct women’s contribution to household GDP in ancient Greece. While some scholars have researched finer textiles and tech-niques based on visual evidence, very little is known about the skills and time needed to produce the most basic clothing form (the chlamys) produced in an ancient Greek domestic setting. The experiment, which involved the creation of a single heddle warp-weighted loom based on ar-chaeological and iconographic evidence, found that a team of three weavers could spin and weave this common use textile in roughly three to four weeks. Cutting extra-long warp threads made this process easier, as multiple garments can be made with one warp and then separated once they have been taken off the loom. Based on these results, it is possible to calculate the amount of money that an average household could earn in a calendar year. The author estimated that a family could sell enough textiles to make about 60-140 drachmae a year while keeping some textiles for their own use. Little is known about the exact demographics of who bought these textiles. However, there is some evidence for a market in the context of funerals as well as evidence for large, physical fiber craft markets in Athens. As an experimental archaeology pro-ject, this research sheds light on aspects of Greek household economics, the contribution of women’s household labor, and craft production skills within the domestic context.
