Ancient Egyptian textile fragment from Illahun dated AD 395 – 642

Two pieces of striped, blue and white, woollen tunic, with applied woven bands in red wool and undyed flax. The pattern is of lozenge shaped compartments enclosing geometrical devices with a narrow zigzag line border.
Woven bands and red/tan coloured base, 14 warps and 12 wefts per centimetre, each weft composed of two threads. There are two threads in each flax weft to create the geometric repeating design, the design repeat 6 centimetres. Floating wefts on reverse side. Woven striped fabric. There are ten warps per centimetre. Blue warps. Finely woven. Selvedge edge on each piece.

Ancient Egyptian textile fragment from Illahun dated AD 395 – 642

Object details

  • Reference: BOLMG:1911.63.16
  • Material: linen wool
  • Period: Coptic Period
  • Excavator: W.M.F. Petrie
  • Dated: AD 395 - 642
  • Object name: textile fragment
  • Dimensions: Length: 415mm , Width: 236mm , Length: 415mm , Width: 397mm
  • Published references: A similar group in the Whitworth Art Gallery, exhibited and published by F. Pritchard, Clothing Culture (2006)
  • Site: Illahun
  • Latitude: 29.233333
  • Longitude: 30.966667