05/09/2026
Στο συνέδριο του ETN (European Τextile Network) που θα πραγματοποιηθεί στην Αθήνα στις 20-25 Οκτωβρίου, η Σοφία Τσουρινάκη, τεχνολόγος αρχαίου υφάσματος θα κάνει δύο εισηγήσεις με θέμα:
α) The Εnduring Legacy of Weaving in Greece: Textiles as Knowledge Systems.
β) The Sprang Zonaria in Greece: More Observations on the Classification and the Technology of the String Belts.
Ταυτόχρονα θα παρουσιάσει και το έργο του Ιστορικού Υφαντουργείου ΣΕΝ, όπου θα επισκεφθούν οι σύνεδροι.
Περιλήψεις
The Εnduring Legacy of Weaving in Greece: Textiles as Knowledge Systems
Textiles have historically functioned not merely as commodities of wealth and exchange, but primarily as factors of knowledge. The presentation seeks to shift attention beyond the artifacts themselves to the dynamic textile knowledge, which was transformed and transferred across the Eastern Mediterranean networks. Moreover, the looped–pile technique has been the culmination of a long and flourishing tradition that indicates the cultural interaction between weavers, textile tools and communities. In Greece, the variations of the technique (either by the warp or the weft) appear to have dictated the invention of new methods and improvements or expansions in the looms.
The Sprang Zonaria in Greece: More Observations on the Classification and the Technology of the String Belts.
In rural Greece, women used to attire their bodies in socially-approved garments to signify age, gender, marital status and motherhood. The presentation will focus on zonaria, the red belts of Peloponnesus and Chios, which communicated the individual’s attributes to the community. Zonaria were made in the sprang technique that has been the culmination of a long and flourishing tradition in Mediterranean. Fifth-century BC vases from Greece show women with frames lying on their laps or hanging on the wall, as well as female figures with sprang-like headgears. For the scope of this research project, the content of Greek literary sources was carefully examined and similar data regarding early and post Byzantine textiles was added. Moreover, experiments were reproduced and compared with ancient and modern experiments where this was possible.
