Archaeological finds from Bro church, Bro parish, Gotland, arrived through:
Archaeologist Per Widerström
Länsmuseet på Gotland
Mellangatan 19
Visby (Sweden)
Eva Lundwall
Conservator
RAÄ/ATk
(Riksantikvarieämbetet/Antikvarisk-Teknisk avdelning, enheten för konservering av kyrkliga textilier)
Translation supplied by:
Lena Strid
Sweden. Malmö
Textile analyses
Analyses of textile finds from archaeologcal excvations in Bro church, Bro
parish on Gotland. The fabric derives in all likelihood from the second half
of the 11th century.
Find number: 1
Number of fragments: 1
Measurements of largest fragment: approx. 1.5 x 1.5 cm, folded in two
Material: Wool
Present colour: Brown
Technique: 2/2 twill
Thread count, warp: 8/cm
Thread count, weft: 10/cm, some double
Spinning direction: Loose Z
Comments: The folded fragment was found with a heartshaped metal brass ornament.
Actions: Cleaned in deionized water.
Find number: 2
Number of fragments: 1
Measurements of largest fragment: approx. 7 x 3.5 cm
Material: Wool
Present colour: Brown (dark)
Technique: 2/2 twill
Thread count, warp: 8-9/cm
Thread count, weft: 10/cm, some double
Spinning direction, warp: Z
Spinning direction, weft: Loose Z
Comments: Preparation of metal and leather. The fabric is very stretched a
lot obliquely. On the reverse side of the fabric there is a heartshaped
metal brass decoration. On top of this, there is a cord which has probably been spun
three turns. The cord is made of the same fabric as the one the brass is
attached to. The width of the cord is approx. 0.5 cm. On top of the cords
there is a cut strip of leather. The right side of the fabric is covered
with small leather fragments.
Actions: Cleaned in deionized water.
Find number: 3a
Number of fragments: 4
Measurements of largest fragment: ca 8 x 4 cm
Material: Wool
Present colour: Brown
Technique: 2/2 twill
Thread count, warp: 9-10/cm
Thread count, weft: 10/cm, some double
Spinning direction, warp: Z
Spinning direction, weft: Loose Z
Comments: The fabric lies doubly folded along the warp direction. The weft
is sometimes double - without regularity. The thread count varies and is
somewhat irregular. The fabric has not been fulled or raised. At the widest
part of the largest fragment there is a small impression with green salt
crystals, probably from the brass decoration.
Actions: Lightly cleaned in deionized water.
Find number: 3b
Number of fragments: 1
Measurements of largest fragment: ca 1.5 x 2 cm
Material: Wool
Present colour: Brown
Technique: 2/2 twill
Thread count, warp: 20 threads/cm
Thread count, weft: 10/cm, some double
Spinning direction, warp: Z
Spinning direction, weft: Loose Z
Comments: The warp count is considerably higher than in the other woolen
fragments.
Actions: Lightly cleaned in deionized water.
Find number: 3c
Number of fragments: 1
Measurements of largest fragment: ca 0.5 x 1.25 cm
Material: Wool (weft) and silk (warp)
Present colour: Brownred, greyblack and yellowwhite
Technique: Tabby with supplementary pattern weft
Thread count, warp: 70 threads/cm
Thread count, weft: 30/cm
Thread count, supplementary pattern weft: 10/cm
Spinning direction, warp: I-spun
Spinning direction, weft: Loose S
Spinning direction, supplementary pattern weft: Loose S
Comments: The silk fragment lies on top of one of the small woolen
fragments, 3 x 2 cm. The silk warp has probably been red. Each warp thread
consists of ca 20 separate silk fibres. The weft consists of small bundles
of, probably fine goat hair. For the patterning that occurs in the weft
direction, a fine wool yarn of very high quality has been used. The woolen
yarn may have been wrapped with a very thin metal strip (gold) that now is
gone. See binding pattern.
Actions: Lightly cleaned in deionized water. Technical analysis - drawing.
Photographed.
Find number: 4a
Number of fragments: 2
Measurements of largest fragment: ca 2 x 4 cm
Material: Wool
Present colour: Brown
Technique: 2/2 twill
Thread count, warp: 8-9 threads/cm
Thread count, weft: 10/cm
Spinning direction, warp: Z
Spinning direction, weft: Z
Comments: -
Actions: Lightly cleaned in deionized water.
Find number: 4b
Number of fragments: 1
Measurements of largest fragment: ca 1.5 x 2 cm
Material: Wool
Present colour: Yellowwhite
Technique: Tabby with supplementary pattern weft, now mostly gone.
Thread count, warp: 70 threads/cm
Thread count, weft: 30/cm
Spinning direction, warp: S
Spinning direction, weft: S
Comments: In the space between each warp thread at each weft there are
remnants of now broken off threads. Possibly some kind of pile weave. The
fragment has a selvedge. See photo.
Actions: Lightly cleaned in deionized water. Photographed.
Find number: 4c
Number of fragments: 1
Measurements of largest fragment: ca 4 x 2 cm
Material: Wool
Present colour: Yellowwhite
Technique: -
Thread count, warp: -
Thread count, weft: -
Spinning direction, warp: -
Spinning direction, weft: -
Comments: A bundle of woolen hair of (probably) goat. The bundle is tied
with similar woolen hair.
Actions: Lightly cleaned in deionized water.
Find number: 5
Number of fragments: 1 preparation
Measurements of largest fragment: ca 2 x 4 cm
Material: Wool
Present colour: Brown
Technique: 2/2 twill
Thread count, warp: 8-9 threads/cm
Thread count, weft: 10/cm
Spinning direction, warp: Z
Spinning direction, weft: Z
Comments: In the find there are a fish shaped and a heart shaped metal
Brass decoration. The textile fragment lies pleated in several layers, and in the
middle there is an oblong mass of organic material. The fabric is of the
same quality as find number 2.
Actions: Loosely lying sand removed in deionized water. Photographed.
Find number: 6a
Number of fragments: 6
Measurements of largest fragment: ca 3.5 x 7 cm
Material: Wool
Present colour: Light brown
Technique: 2/2 twill
Thread count, warp: 8-9 threads/cm
Thread count, weft: 7/cm
Spinning direction, warp: Z
Spinning direction, weft: Z
Comments: In the find there are a number of fragments of another organic
material. One of them has green metal salts on the surface, find number 6b.
Actions: Loosely lying sand removed in deionized water.
Find number: 7
Number of fragments:
Measurements of largest fragment: ca 3.5 x 7 cm
Material: Wool
Present colour: Dark redbrown
Technique: 2/2 twill
Thread count, warp: 8-9 threads/cm
Thread count, weft: 7/cm
Spinning direction, warp: Z
Spinning direction, weft: Z
Comments: On the find there is a fragment of another organic material and
has green metal salts on the surface.
Actions: Loosely lying sand removed in deionized water.
Assessment:
The textile fragments consist of three different qualities. One coarse
fabric of wool, where warp and weft change slightly, yet presumably comes
from the same weave. The warp in all 2/2 twill wool fragments is tightly
spun while the weft has a very (unusually) loose twist, sometimes almost
none. The fabric can be domestic as well as imported.
Find number 4c has probably had loops woven into the fabric (like velvet or
terry cloth), that now is worn off during its archaeological existence.
The small fragment 3c is the one that is most interesting in its composition
wool+silk and pattern effect in white silk. The fragment is probably part of
some kind of decoration.
Both 4c and 3c are in all likelihood imported.
