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Hohmichele Princess

Reconstruction of the decoration on the bottom of a chemise of the Hohmichele Princess, 6th century BC, southern Germany. Reconstruction of the decoration on the bottom of a chemise of the Hohmichele Princess, 6th century BC, southern Germany.

Small fragments of an embroidered woollen chemise were discovered at the cemetery of Hohmichele, near the hillfort of Heuneburg, in southern Germany. The burial ground is dominated by an 85 metre high tumulus, which contained a number of burials. The tumulus was first excavated between 1936 and 1938, and again between 1954 and 1956.

Grave No. VI, some twelve metres from the main burial chamber and still inside the tumulus, was that of a man and a woman ("The Hohmichele Princess"). The grave also contained a four-wheeled chariot (in which the woman was placed) and many other items, including the remains of the chemise. The undisturbed tomb was dated to the mid-sixth century BC and has been attributed to the late Hallstatt Period.

The chemise, with a tablet-woven border, is embroidered along the edges with meanders, diamonds and swastikas, and the motifs are being worked with overcast and stem stitches. Whether or not the embroidery was carried out with silk thread still seems to be a moot point.

Source: BARBER, E.J.W. (1991). Prehistoric Textiles. The Development of Cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, Princeton University Press, pp. 119, 189-190.

Digital source of illustration (retrieved 14 February 2017).

WV

 

Last modified on Monday, 27 March 2017 19:30