Sailing Textiles from Prehistory to Early History: Exploring the Significance of Textiles and Fibres in Seafaring (Ancient Textiles) Paperback – September 15, 2026

Collects European research on maritime textiles, sails, rigging, and seafaring from the Bronze Age to the 18th century.Sailing Textiles brings together researchers from across Europe to explore the production and use of sails, maritime textiles, rigging, and ropes, through an array of archaeological, historical, and textual evidence.Much research into maritime textiles, such as the reconstruction of ancient vessels, is rooted in museum contexts without further academic discussion. This volume addresses that gap by presenting both case studies and wider discussions organised around three key themes: sails and sail production from Antiquity to the 19th century; archaeological evidence for maritime exchange, sailing, and textile production linked to maritime activities; and boat technology, including the significance of ropes and rigging.Covering a geographical range from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, the contributions draw on source materials based on archaeological evidence, classical literature, documentary records, and experimental research.Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgementsSummariesList of contributorsIntroductionPart 1. Sails and sail production from Antiquity to the 19th century CE1. From sheep to ship – the lifecycle of Roman sailsMadelaine Miller 2. The reconstruction and use of Viking Age sails: Practical insights and perspectives from maritime experimental archaeologyVibeke Bischoff and Tríona Sørensen 3. A discussion about canvas, linen, and sailcloth from the 17th and 18th centuries: materials, looms, tools, and weavingMarie Ekstedt Bjersing4. The art of sail-making in MaltaClaire Bonavia5. A sailmaker’s story. Investigating historical Scandinavian sailmaking through a craftsman perspectiveMarius Borg-HeggedalPart 2. Archaeological evidence for maritime exchange, sailing, and textile production linked to maritime activities6. Sailing in the Aegean Bronze AgeTina Boloti 7. The emergence of Sail and Sail materials in Prehistoric ScandinaviaBoel Bengtsson8. Long distance exchanges and Sailing in Bronze Age Sardinia Serena Sabatini9. Sewing at sea. Evaluation of Roman textile tools in underwater contexts off the coast of the Iberian PeninsulaMacarena Bustamante-Álvarez, Rafael Sabio González, and Soledad Solana Rubio 10. Sailing without shipwrecks? Comparing evidence for the use of sails in the Pre-Columbian Americas and Bronze Age ScandinaviaMikael Fauvelle Part 3. Boat technology and the significance of ropes and rigging11. Late Bronze Age Aegean ships: hull-shape, rigging, and seaworthinessAngiolo Querci12. The ‘sewn boat’ system from the Cala San Vicente wreck (Pollensa, Mallorca): new insightsCarmen Alfaro and Carlota Viñes13. Ropemaking from bast and hemp: notes on the contribution of ropemaker Ole Magnus to the study of Scandinavian archaeological ropesOlof Pipping and Mikkel Hollmann Read more