Nestor was described by Homer as one of the oldest and wisest of the Greeks to fight at Troy. His palace at Pylos, overlooking the Bay of Navarino in the southwest Peloponnese dates to 1300 BC, and was sadly destroyed by fire about 1200 BC. It’s rediscovery in the 1930s served to provide archeological evidence to support the oral history written by Homer, but most importantly, provided an excellent archive of clay tablets written in the language known as Greek Linear B. The tablets tell the story of this once thriving commercial center that had as its focus the production of textiles.
It is both thrilling and humbling to stand in a place where wool and linen textiles formed a significant part of the economy 3,000 years ago. According to translations from fragmentary clay tablets, more than 28 groups of women weavers produced linen and wool fabrics for the urban center of Pylos…with as many as 20 workers in at least half of those groups.(1)
“White Goddess” from the Palace of Nestor at Pylos.
Linear B — the name given to the ideograms recorded on the tablets at Pylos — represent administrative notations, such as the names of items like “vase,” “horse,” or “wool” (the latter seen at the right). These symbols also referenced units of measure, which is why so much is known about the economic value of textiles at Pylos and throughout the surrounding region of Chora.
Archeological evidence for textile production is found across Greece, with thousands of spindle whorls and loom weights. While actual fabric remnants are few in number and quite fragmentary, the stone and ceramic statuary provide us with many tantalizing images of the clothing.
The thin, draping under garment (chiton) was likely linen, and the heavier cloak (himation), wool. Cotton fabric was imported from India beginning in about the 5th century BC, but would have been quite expensive for all but the very rich. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote, “The wild trees there produce as a fruit a beautiful and exceptional wool, better than that of sheep. The Indians use the material from these trees for clothing.” (Herodotus, 3.106) Silk did not appear until much later during the transition to the Roman Republic.
Flax is no longer grown in Greece, and although there certainly are sheep in the hillsides, only a small amount of wool ends up as yarn (it is currently spun in Romania). The few shops that carry it complain that it isn’t as tightly spun as it should be. Still, it has an important traditional use, and is purchased mainly by Orthodox priests to be knotted into κομποσκοίνι prayer ropes or bracelets. Each knot consists of 7 crossings, with the tying being part of the act of prayer.
By coincidence, a young priest came into the yarn shop where we were talking to the owner about those very knotted ropes and looking at a couple of examples. The priest was there to buy the local black wool, and it turned out that he spoke perfect English (as he should have, coming from Oregon in the US!), so was able to explain the process and its importance. It was one of those aspects of perfect timing that helped to make this trip quite special.
R – Close-up of knots from a prayer rope. Photo by Laura Ricketts; knotting by Tim Roe (2)
Lower – Monastery of Prodromos, cut into the mountain up a long and steep path from the valley below.
It turned out that going up (shown here) to the Prodromos Monastery was much easier than coming down via the gorge. The path was full of boulders and was very narrow (as well as steep). I actually lost the strength in my knees about 10 minutes from the end of the trail and wondered if I’d need to take up residence in the forest!
That route proved very interesting, however, when we came across this sign. A fulling tub (in this case, with the fast-rushing stream running through it) is used in the processing of woolen felt cloth. There was no further information, and I haven’t yet turned up anything about when it was used or what might have been the production. My conjecture is that the robes of the monks (which are black, and may well be/have been wool) were at one time produced at the monastery. There are certainly enough sheep and goats in the region to provide raw materials.
Only one company continues to produce cotton yarn in Greece, but it comes in two weights, and a large range of colors. The cotton yarns are much more popular for crochet than knitting according to one knitter I spoke to. I also got the sense, that like in other countries, knitting may have hit a low point, but is slowly returning to the mainstream as a craft, in large measure due to the high level of unemployment and under-employment that has plagued the Greek economy for the last number of years. As one person put it, “you have to do something!”
Many of the museums I visited in the last two weeks had hundreds of small figurines, oil lamps, and vases in miniature that were left as offerings at shrines to the many gods of Olympus. The little ceramic “baskets” above are no more than about 2″ tall, and the loom weights not much bigger than your thumb nail. These and the bronze needles were left to either honor one of the deities, or to ask for some kind of intercession. The ceramic baskets were made in imitation of fiber baskets, and have thus survived centuries of burial where the actual baskets have perished.
This was NOT a work trip (although I do manage to always find things related to textiles and knitting). It also was not as much of a restful vacation as I had hoped. Our wonderful guide George, had us hiking at 9 in the morning. We often didn’t stop for dinner until almost 9 at night. It was spectacular exhaustion.
White water rafting is great exhilaration. Neither Bruce nor I fell in, and the scenery was pretty exceptional. Sorting through the memories (as well as the photos) will take some time.
Top row (L) everything is always uphill (R) “the jockey” from the Archeology Museum
Middle row (L) one of the entrances to the underworld, (R) a vase for tulips
Lower row (L) the trunk of an olive tree, (R) a better way to buy Feta cheese than I found at my local grocery store.
There are additional new photos posted on the page “Ramblings“
- Burke, Brendan. “Textiles” in The Oxford Handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean, Eric H. Cline, ed. Oxford Handbooks Online, publ. 2012
- Ricketts, Laura. “How to Tie a Traditional Thirty-Three-Knot Eastern Orthodox Prayer Rope,” PieceWork March/April 2018.
Amazing photos, looks like a great time!
Very interesting. Stunning pictures Sara!