Paper short abstract:

Although archaelogical textiles from prehistoric Britain rarely survive, spinning animal and plant fibres to make yarn for weaving was an essential task. This paper explores the process of spinning, and argues that ideas of 'twist' and 'circling' were also applied in other materials and practices.

Paper long abstract:

Archaeological approaches to material culture generally divide objects according to material, e.g. pottery, lithics, metalwork. Wood and textiles rarely survive in acidic northern European soils, and are studied primarily through scientific analysis of trace remains. Whilst these divisions allow specialists to develop in-depth knowledge of the properties and techniques associated with particular materials, they can also make it harder to look for connections between crafts.

This paper takes an alternative approach, focussing instead on a particular way of processing: twisting. Adding twist to plant and animal fibres through the process of spinning would have been an essential everday task for households in prehistoric Britain, producing the threads used in weaving textiles.

After examining the objects and gestures used in the act of spinning, this paper will move on to consider the ways in which similar approaches were also applied in working with wood, ceramics, and metal. In Iron Age Britain practices such as metalworking, pottery, and house construction drew on a shared lexicon of movements and processes: adding strength to materials by binding, twisting and turning in circles. Pots were coil-built, and houses and roofs constructed according to a circular 'roundhouse' model.

Metalwork decorated with 'Celtic' art is often considered the pinnacle of Iron Age artistry. This paper will argue that these objects should not be viewed in isolation; when these gold and bronze objects are considered in the context of other craft practices, they can be seen to reference the processes of twisting and weaving associated with organic materials.