Vesuvian area 159 Weft-face tabby s/s
Catalogue number
Ts 52
Inventory number
159
Holding institution
Naples, National Archaeological Museum
Description
30 fragments. Max. dimension 15 x 7 cm; Min. dimension 3 x 1 cm.
The textile surface appears highly irregular and rather coarse, due to the marked difference in thread diameter between the warp and weft systems. The weft shows irregular dimensions, some thinner threads measuring approximately 0.74–0.78 mm in diameter. Surface irregularity is further enhanced by occasional overlapping of weft threads and by the presence of knots, at which points the threads become thinner and reduced in size. These knots were likely introduced to repair threads that broke or were damaged during weaving.
The overlapping of yarns and the unsystematic pairing of weft threads may likewise represent intentional interventions aimed at filling empty areas created by the irregular weft dimensions within the textile surface.
Context
Basic information
Object condition
fragmentary
Preservation state
carbonised
Object type
Textile
Fabric structure
weft-faced tabby
Warp and weft identified
✓
| System 1 | System 2 | Warp 2 | Suppl. yarn | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material | plant bast fibre | plant bast fibre | ||
| Fibre identification method | SEM | SEM | ||
| Colour | ||||
| Yarn structure | single | single | ||
| Twist strength | ||||
| Twist | s | s | ||
| Twist angle average | ||||
| Twist angle range | 30 - 40 | 35 - 49 | ||
| Diameter average | ||||
| Diameter range | 0.5 - 0.7 | 0.8 - 1.0 | ||
| Thread count average | ||||
| Thread count range | 5 - 6 | 8 - 10 |
FURTHER DETAILS
Borders
plain corded border
References
Coletti, Francesca. I tessuti di Pompei e d’Area Vesuviana. A3TEX Series, I. Roma: Edizioni Quasar, 2025.
Data recorded by
Francesca Coletti
Data entered by
Francesca Coletti
Date of study
2017