Textiles Found
Along the Spice Route joining Petra and Gaza from the Nabatean period until the
Early Islamic period
By
Orit Shamir
Israel Antiquities Authority
The Spice Routes connected the Nabatean capital of Petra in the
Edom mountains of present-day Jordan with mercantile outlets on the
Mediterranean Sea, notably Gaza and El Arish, were used from the third century
BC till the early Islamic period when they were abandoned.
Most
of the way stations on these routes such as 'En Rahel, Mo'a, Sha'ar Ramon and
Nahal Omer, yielded textiles, basketry and cordage.
They
display a remarkable variety of materials (wool, goat hair, camel hair, linen,
silk) and techniques (tabby, twill, compound tabby) suggesting their diverse
geographical origins (Middle East, Mesopotamian origin, Europe, Galil or Jordan
Valley). Some of the textiles are dyed or decorated with bands, tapestry, ikat,
brocading wefts in red, blue, green and/or other colors. They were used for
clothing, bags or reused for other purposes.
A
great deal can be learned from the textiles about the population of the
different sites: their social, economic and political situation. For example,
textiles from Mo'a and Sha'ar Ramon demonstrate a greater variety of techniques
such as twills and dyes compare to ‘En Rahel, a fact which may be due to their
location on the main road which were perhaps more heavily traveled by the
caravans.
All
these features and the ability to obtain these clothes attest to the high
economic status of these Nabatean tradesmen and merchants, “sailors of the
desert”, living two thousand years ago and the other people who lived on these
routes.
Baginski A. and Shamir O.
1995. Early Islamic Textiles, Basketry and Cordage from Nahal Omer, Israel. 'Atiqot 26:21-42.
Shamir O. 1995. Textiles
from Nahal Shahak, Israel. 'Atiqot
26:43-48.
Baginski A. and Shamir O.
1997. The Earliest Ikats. HALI 95:
86-87.
Shamir O. 1999. Textiles,
Basketry, and Cordage from `En Rahel. Textiles, Basketry and Cordage from 'En
Rahel. 'Atiqot 38:91-124.
Shamir O. 2001. Byzantine
and Early Islamic Textiles Excavated in Israel. Textile History 32:93-105.