Nettle as a distinct Bronze Age textile plant

Abstract

It is generally assumed that the production of plant fibre textiles in ancient Europe, especially woven textiles for clothing, was closely linked to the development of agriculture through the use of cultivated textile plants (flax, hemp). Here we present a new investigation of the 2800 year old Lusehøj Bronze Age Textile from Voldtofte, Denmark, which challenges this assumption. We show that the textile is made of imported nettle, most probably from the Kärnten-Steiermark region, an area which at the time had an otherwise established flax production. Our results thus suggest that the production of woven plant fibre textiles in Bronze Age Europe was based not only on cultivated textile plants but also on the targeted exploitation of wild plants. The Lusehøj find points to a hitherto unrecognized role of nettle as an important textile plant and suggests the need for a re-evaluation of textile production resource management in prehistoric Europe.

Determining the fibrillar orientation of bast fibres with polarized light microscopy: the modified Herzog test (red plate test) explained

“…Fibrillar orientation is a characteristic feature for a species and serves as an aid for identification (Herzog, 1955). For example, knowledge about the fibrillar orientation of a fibre and the presence of calcium oxalate crystals in the associated tissue makes it possible to conclusively distinguish nettle/ramie fibres from hemp, flax and jute Bergfjord et al, 2012). The composition of fibre cells in most common bast textile plants are in fact very similar.…”

Archaeobotany and the Terramara Archaeological Park of Montale (Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy): Experiences of Public Education

“…However, the recovery of flax seeds from other Bronze Age sites would suggest that flax was employed for weaving along with wool (Cardarelli et al 2009), rather than hemp (attested by the Montale pollen record - Mercuri et al 2006a) that was more suitable for rope production. Although, it cannot be excluded the use of wild plants for yarn, such as nettle, now recognised as an important textile plant in Europe during the Bronze Age (Bergfjord et al 2012), and documented at Montale within the anthropogenic pollen indicators (Mercuri et al 2012).…”

The Prehistoric Wetland Site of Náklo (Moravia, Czech Republic) – a Unique Piece of History

“…Similarly, we could assume a high presence of Urtica dioica seeds, which, on the one hand, is a typical representative of alder carr species. On the other hand, a recent study from Denmark has suggested nettles as an important Bronze Age plant exploited for textile production in their natural habitat (Bergfjord et al 2012). Chenopodium album agg.…”