Fashion studies

The course aims to analyse, from a diachronic perspective, the foundational elements of textile culture, recognised as an essential cultural heritage that has historically sustained industry, craftsmanship, and art. The objective is to provide students with a basic understanding of the main phases of the textile production chain: from the selection and processing of raw materials, to the technological aspects of yarn and fabric production, up to decorative motifs and finishing treatments, taking into account their historical evolution. The educational activities, structured in lectures and practical workshops, aim to develop both theoretical and practical skills in the documentation and identification of the basic textile weaves and natural fibres. Particular attention will be given to processing techniques, fibre morphology and properties, as well as the degradation processes to which they are subject. By the end of the course, students will possess a solid cultural and technical background, useful for the analysis and understanding of historical and archaeological textile heritage, as well as of the roots of European and Mediterranean textile culture and craftsmanship.

No prior qualifications or prerequisites are required

Introduction textile culture: production and consumption: Gleba - Laurito 2015: M. Gleba, R. Laurito, Il tessuto della vita: le risorse, l'economia, la produzione tessile nell'Italia antica, in Forma Urbis 9, 2015. Morphology, properties and identification of natural fibres: Bazzanella et al. 2003: M. Bazzanella, A. Mayr, L. Moser, A. Rast-Eicher (a cura di), Textiles: intrecci e tessuti della preistoria europea, Servizio beni culturali della Provincia Autonoma di Trento, 2003, pp. 11-16; pp. 41-45; pp. 47-53; pp. 65-71; pp. 79-97, Catalogo. Methods and tools for the analysis of heritage textiles: Francovich - Manacorda 2000: R. Francovich, D. Manacorda (a cura di), Dizionario di archeologia, Bari, 2000. Voci: Archeometria, pp. 24-29; Cultura materiale, pp. 99-104; Datazione, pp. 105-110; Degrado, pp. 110-115; Produzione, archeologia della, pp. 231-236; Tessuto, archeologia del, pp. 339-349. Manufacturing of textiles and gold threads: Galli M. et al. 2020: M. Galli, F. Coletti, I. Serafini, A. Ciccola, Archeologia e archeometria del tessuto antico: un gruppo di manufatti aurei dall’area vesuviana (Pompei, Ercolano, Oplontis), in Scienze dell’Antichità, 26.1, 2020, pp. 205-223. Stauffer 2002: A. Stauffer, I tessuti, in P.von Eles (a cura di), Guerriero e sacerdote. Autorità e comunità nell’età del ferro a Verucchio. La Tomba del Trono, in Quaderni di Archeologia dell’Emilia Romagna 6, Firenze, 2002, pp. 192-234. Technical lexicon: Zanetti 1987: A. Zanetti, Dizionario tecnico della tessitura, Udine.

Attendance is recommended but not mandatory

In the oral exam, attending students will be required to answer open questions related to the topics covered during the course. Non-attending students will be required to answer open questions based on the teaching materials personally provided by the instructor and the texts listed in the reference bibliography.

Andersson et al. 2010: E. Andersson Strand, K. M. Frei, M. Gleba, U. Mannering, M. L. Nosch, I. Skals, Old Textiles New Possibilities, in European Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 13 (2), pp. 149-173. Gleba 2011: M. Gleba, Textile studies: sources and methods, in Kubaba 2, pp. 2-26.

Teaching will be delivered through in-person frontal lectures. Classes will be held in a classroom setting, supported by slides and explanatory videos. In addition, the program includes 8 hours of laboratory activities and visits to two museums: Museo delle Cviltà (Rome, EUR district) and the "Primo Levi" Museum dedicated to organic and artificial dyes located at the Department of Chemistry of Sapienza University of Rome.