WEAVING DREAMS

Geraki's weaving history starts in antiquity. Although actual fabrics are not preserved, other archaeological evidence, such as tools used in their manufacture, indicates that textile production formed an integral part of life from prehistoric times. The ancient acropolis in the middle of the modern village has yielded evidence of this kind. It was subject to archaeological surface survey in 1995-1996 and subsequent excavations on the northwestern part of the summit by the Geraki Project under the aegis of the Netherlands Institute at Athens. The project revealed occupation on the hill ranging from the fourth millennium BCE to the first century BCE, after which the acropolis was gradually abandoned (for annual reports, see Pharos 1995-2012). Two periods in particular provide telling evidence for textile manufacture: first, from the fortified Early Bronze Age settlement (ca. 3200-2000 ???), there is indirect evidence for the use of textiles in the form of impressions in clay; second, multiroom dwellings dating to the Late Classical-Hellenistic period (4th-2nd/1st century BCE) contained tools employed in weaving (Langridge-Noti and Prent 2011). Prior to examining textile production in ancient Geraki, it is essential to provide an overview of what is known about textile production in ancient Greece, with an emphasis on the essential stages of the craft: spinning and weaving.