Skip to main content

Crafting Identities Through Textiles: The Iberian Culture Between Local and Near-Eastern Traditions

FERRANTE, Nina / ROSELL GARRIDO, Patricia

The koine in which the cultures of the Mediterranean lived during Protohistory promoted the reception of new influences and the inclusion and/or adaptation of diverse customs. In this context, fashion and textiles played a crucial role as vehicles for the transmission of ideas and models rooted in ancestral traditions. A case study is the spread of Levantine and Oriental patterns and styles to the Western Mediterranean coasts from the 12th century BCE, thanks to Phoenician trade.

Specifically, since prehistoric times, local fabrics were used on the Iberian Peninsula, giving rise to distinct regional traditions. However, the study of the fashion and clothing of the pre-Roman communities that made up the Iberian Culture (6th-5th centuries BCE until the change of era) reflects a mixture of local traditions and Near Eastern influences. Likewise, the specific use of attire and even participation in textile activity also allows for the construction of identities and the ratification of gender, as in the case of the Iberian female.

This study uses mainly iconographic sources to analyse and compare Iberian and Phoenician-Punic costumes from the ancient Mediterranean. It aims to provide a preliminary understanding of the mutual influences and contributions between the two cultures in contact.

Session 4. Crafting Identity and Clusters through Material Culture, Iconography and Texts [info]