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The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (NCG) possesses a small collection consisting of 13 fragments of Late Antique textiles from Egypt, possibly from the site of Akhmim. The collection primarily consists of cut-outs of decorative elements. The collection has until now not received much attention nor been thoroughly analysed. The present study seeks to remedy this neglect by performing fibre and dye analyses as well as including archival material from the museum collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of textile and fibre analysis of four textile fragments recovered during archaeological excavations at the site of Zawaydah, Naqada, in Upper Egypt. Although the main phase of the occupation at this site is ascribed to the Pre- and Protodynastic period (c. fourth millennium BC), the structural and fibre analyses of the textiles and the subsequent radiocarbon dating of two fragments provide evidence of later phases of site use, to be assigned to the Middle Kingdom, possibly the New Kingdom, and the Middle Ages (second millennium BC and second millennium AD). The article offers an insight into the Egyptian textiles of these latter time periods at the site, and highlights the importance of detailed structural and fibre analysis for acquiring dating information and informing the decisions to carry out further analyses, such as radiocarbon dating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around 3500 BC, an adult elephant was sacrificed and buried in the elite cemetery of Hierakonpolis in the very south of Egypt. The elephant was given a burial similar to humans including a linen shroud. This shroud is just one of an impressive number of textiles found at the site illustrating a range of uses. The textiles of the late prehistory in Egypt, the predynastic period, have not yet been thoroughly researched, and the linen of the elephant's shroud therefore presents a unique opportunity to consider the time used to produce it and the expertise of the spinners and weavers. The information from textile tools found at Hierakonpolis can now also be added to this story. The results of research into the elephant's shroud and the textile tools question our perception of prehistoric society in Egypt just before state formation, especially in relation to the organisation of textile production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]