Textiles, cordage and basketry from Catalhöyük

Abstract

Textiles, cordage, matting and basketry are all made of organic materials that are easily perishable and therefore rarely found in archaeological excavations, except in special conditions that have allowed their preservation. This makes them particularly valuable as they represent a large but little-known part of the material culture of the past. This certainly applies to the textiles from Çatalhöyük that include the earliest woven textiles currently known. These combine weaving with the technique of weft-twining that precedes weaving as a way to make flexible fabrics that could be used for clothing, wrapping, carrying and a multitude of other purposes. This makes them of great importance as they reflect the emergence of weaving as a new technology to produce objects made from various fibres.