Re Allan's note below on 'neolithic woad in S.France' other listers may be
interested in a great book by Franco Brunello 'The Art of Dyeing in the
history
of Mankind', first published 1968 in Vicenza, Italy, and translated into
English by Bernard Hickey and published by the Phoenix Dye Works in
Cleveland Ohio in 1973.
It includes a dictionary of the various plants used for dying in
antiquity and gives a number of Indigo plants used in various parts of
the world. He gives details of methods from the Paleolithic, and
particularly the Neolithic (7000 -2000 BC). It is beautifully
illustrated with manuscript illustrations of various plants and their
roots, tools used in dyeing, etc. etc.
I understand a limited number were printed, and I was lucky enough to be
given one by a chemist friend. I doubt its available in English, even in
major libraries, but I'd be happy to check for plant names or other
information if that would be helpful.
Cheers,
Beatrice
Allan Hall
>Skip Williams very kindly sent me a copy of the paper I was asking about
>earlier today (I say this partly to save anyone else the trouble); for those
>who also did know it, this is the reference:
>
>Cotte J. and Cotte C. 1917. Analyses de résidus organiques de l'époque
>néolithique (Caverne de l'Adaouste). Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société
>d'anthropologie de Paris, VI° Série. Tome 8 fascicule 1-2, 66-115.
>
>... and it's pretty clear that the material described cannot all be
>neolithic. The paper refers to (if my primitive French is accurate)
>
>- rye (Secale) and oat (Avena) grains
>
>- fibres, some of which were flax.some Cannabis, and some of which were
>blue - which led them to suppose woad had been used to colour them
>
>- some red fibres they claim to have been dyed with the insect dye kermes
>
>- and hairs they claim to be from mammoth (Mammuthus)
>
>I'm not sure in the end that there were any remains of woad seeds or any
>other parts of the plant.
>
>It's a fascinating example of very early forensic archaeobotany - bringing
>in some chemistry as well as microscopy of plant residues. But it does not
>sound as though the dating is good. My next - inevitable question - is to
>ask whether anyone knows of a critique of this report? If it is as dubious
>as it seems, it's a great shame that the record of woad is propagated so
>repeatedly on the web.
>
>With all good wishes
>
>Allan
>--
>Dr Allan Hall, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Archaeology, University
>of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP, UK
>+44 1904 434950 (fax 433902)
>mob. 07745 730346
>http://www.york.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/academic-staff/allan-hall/
>University of York disclaimer:
>http://www.york.ac.uk/docs/disclaimer/email.htm
>
>Consider the environment. Please don't print this e-mail unless you really
>need to.
>
Beatrice Hopkinson,
Hon. Secretary Los Angeles Branch, Oxford University Society
Board Member, Archaeological Institute of America
President, Droitwich Brine Springs and Archaeological Trust, U.K
Affilliate, Cotsen institute of Archaeology, UCLA
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