Explorers, First Collectors and Traders of Textiles: From Egypt of the 1st millennium AD

Its dry climate means that Egypt boasts an exceptionally rich heritage of preserved ancient textiles. Since 1996, the international research group Textiles from the Nile Valley has been studying these Roman, Byzantine and early-Islamic textile artefacts, many of which have found their way into European and North American museum collections. The research group, consisting of curators, archaeologists, textile conservators and scientists, organises a biennial conference at Katoen Natie HeadquARTers in Antwerp, and publishes a series of unique books on the importance of Egyptian textiles. This latest volume brings together the findings from the 11th conference, which was held from 25 to 27 October 2019. The focus is on the history of textile excavating and collecting, which goes back to the late 19th century. The book contains 18 text contributions describing recent fieldwork, conservation treatments and scientific research worldwide, in collaboration with major universities and museums such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. The book is being published to mark the 12th international scientific Textiles from the Nile Valley Conference, which is taking place from 12 to 14 November 2021 in Antwerp. Text in English and German.

Table of Contents:
6 Preface 7 A brief note on the need for 14C-redating 7 Acknowledgements 8 Abbreviations CHAPTER 1 EXPLORERS, FIRST COLLECTORS AND TRADERS 12 A very Victorian tourist: The Reverend Greville John Chester and 19th-century textile collecting at the Victoria and Albert Museum Benjamin Hinson 22 The question of “What went before?” and George Hewitt Myers: The formation of The Textile Museum archaeological collection Sumru Belger Krody 34 Alfred Wiedemann, Émile Brugsch, and the trade in mummy textiles at the end of the 19th century Veerle van Kersen 42 Late Antique textiles from the Robert Forrer collection in Polish museums in the context of his activities as a textile dealer. Preliminary research Anna Głowa 50 A survey of the “Coptic” textiles from the Hermitage collection Olga Osharina 60 Textiles from Egypt’s first millennium AD in Danish museum collections Anne Hedeager Krag 74 Sir Charles Nicholson and the Nicholson Collections at the University of Sydney Glennda Susan Marsh-Letts and Candace Richards 86 Collecting on the side: Textiles from the 1913–14 excavations at Antinoopolis held in three Australasian museums Rosanne Livingstone 96 The first discovery of figured silks in Antinoopolis: Carl Schmidt’s excavations in Egypt Kosuke Goto 112 One of the last choices of Albert Gayet in the field: A child’s tunic from Antinoopolis in Lyon Fleur Letellier-Willemin 120 Fundort bekannt! Stoffe aus Qarara Claudia Nauerth unter Mitarbeit von Béatrice Huber CHAPTER 2 RECEPTION OF TEXTILES IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY 134 “Coptic” fabrics, collectors, and the Fauves Nancy Arthur-Hoskins CHAPTER 3 FROM COLLECTIONS: SCIENTIFIC METHODS AND CONSERVATION 144 Mini-weavings from Gebel Zeit Roberta Cortopassi and Mohamed Dallel 152 Site-by-site research on First Millennium AD textiles from Egypt at the British Museum: Conservation and documentation of archaeological collections Anna Harrison, Elisabeth R. O’Connell and Frances Pritchard 166 From the Middle Ages to the Modern Era: A Coptic liturgical garment in the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz Petra Linscheid with a contribution by Ina Vanden Berghe CHAPTER 4 TEXTILES FROM RECENT EXCAVATIONS 180 Textile finds from burial 2003-NW-39 of the Fag el-Gamus necropolis Anne Kwaspen and Kristin South 192 Ein Mantel für die kalten Tage Béatrice Huber 202 New finds from old excavations in WesternThebes. Nineteenth-century scholars and the textiles from Deir el-Bachît Sabrina Tatz 210 The spring 2019 season at Hisn al-Bab: Care, study and general presentation of textile finds from Area 9 (6th–7th centuries) Amandine Mérat 220 Bibliography 234 Index names 235 Index places 236 Index textile and costume terms 238 Index museums and institutions 239 Authors