Prehistoric baskets in Europe

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Most of the prehistoric baskets in Europe come from pile-dwelling settlements in wetlands, such as Hornstaad on Lake Constance ( around 3900 BC ), as bodies of water and moors sometimes conserve organic material well. In the absence of relevant finds, almost nothing can be said about the earlier occurrence of Stone Age network species, their origin and further development. Simple forms can already be assumed for the Paleolithic, where there must have been some substitute for the lack of clay vessels, which could also have been leather or bark vessels.

1. Braids parallel to the edge

Edge-parallel braids are those in which braid strips and braid strands run parallel to the edges of the finished battle. Mostly these are rectangular mats, but boxes, hats and similar objects can also be produced using this technique. These braids reveal two types of weave.

1.a) with twill weave

Apart from the prints in clay can be found no evidence preserved in the original.

Example: Aradac with Veliki Beckerek in Yugoslavia

1.b) with plain weave

Apart from the clay prints, there are no original documents to be found here either. Example: Baking plates from the Weiher settlement near Thayngen (Kt. Schaffhausen) - probably Michelsberg culture - there were imprints of a woven (floor) mat, which apparently consisted of a raffia or grass-like material.

2. Spiral braids

This type of weaving is one of the most common of the pile dwellings and appears to have been used primarily in the manufacture of baskets.

Example: Bottom piece of a spiral bead basket Art1 - Schötz, Canton Lucerne u. Wauilermoos, Canton Lucerne, Switzerland
Example: Bottom piece of a spiral bead basket Art2 - Murtensee, Switzerland u. St. Aubin, Port-Conty

3. Braids with twisted weave

In principle: transverse fastening of numerous parallel strings.

Variant A: The thread runs over the braid strands at regular intervals.

Example: Basket finds from the Cueva de los Murcielagos, Spain

Variant B: The threads lie next to each other in pairs and thus form a different pattern than with variant A. They consist of fairly strong cords, which mean that the braided strands do not touch each other.

Variant C: In this variant, the twisted strips are pushed together very closely. The chain strands can disappear completely under the braided strips. A tissue-like network is created.

Example: Baskets from the Cueva de los Murciélagos , Spain Example: Bag in twisted braiding, Niederwil (Canton Thurgau), Switzerland

There are various theories for producing such a network, the most obvious (and experimentally tested) is probably the one described by Vogt. The left hand holds the chain strands that are attached to the top when making mats, but are kept free when weaving bags and baskets. The right hand has to alternately pull one of the two strips of thread under a strand of chain back up. So it is always operated only one thread. Another possibility would be to interweave objects.

4. Braids with braids

Braids with braids are only known from Spain. The fact that plaiting of pigtails was common in the Stone Age is proven by several fabric fringes, each of which was made from three chain threads of fine pigtails with end buttons.

Example: baskets from Cueva de los Murcielagos, Spain

literature

  • Annemarie Feldtkeller, Helmut Schlichtherle: Braiding, knotting and weaving in pile-dwelling settlements from the Neolithic Age . In: Archeology in Germany . tape 1 , 1998, p. 22-27 .
  • Emil Vogt: Textiles, braids and fabrics from the Stone Age . Basel 1973, p. 5-41 .
  • Wolfgang Gaitzsch : Antique wicker and ropes . Limes Museum Aalen, 1986.

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