Women's work : the first 20,000 years : women, cloth, and society in early times / Elizabeth Wayland Barber.

By:

Barber, E. J. W, 1940-

Material type: Text

TextPublication details: New York : Norton, 1995Description: 334 pages : illustrations, maps ; 21 cmContent type:

text

Media type:

unmediated

Carrier type:

volume

ISBN:

0393313484
9780393313482

Subject(s):

Genre/Form:

History.

DDC classification:

305.4309 BAR

LOC classification:

GN799.T43 B37

Contents:

A tradition with a reason -- The string revolution -- Courtyard sisterhood -- Island fever -- More than hearts on our sleeves -- Elements of the code -- Cloth for the caravans -- Land of linen -- The golden spindle -- Behind the myths -- Plain or fancy, new or tried and true -- Postscript: finding the invisible.

Summary: An economic and social history of ancient textiles, looking at what can be learned about the lives, work, and values of early women from the technological record of fabric, an industry for which women were largely responsible.

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Standard Loan	LSAD Library Main Collection	305.4309 BAR (Browse shelf(Opens below))	Available		39002100711655

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"A fascinating history of...[a craft] that preceded and made possible civilization itself." -- New York Times Book Review

New discoveries about the textile arts reveal women's unexpectedly influential role in ancient societies.

Twenty thousand years ago, women were making and wearing the first clothing created from spun fibers. In fact, right up to the Industrial Revolution the fiber arts were an enormous economic force, belonging primarily to women.

Despite the great toil required in making cloth and clothing, most books on ancient history and economics have no information on them. Much of this gap results from the extreme perishability of what women produced, but it seems clear that until now descriptions of prehistoric and early historic cultures have omitted virtually half the picture.

Elizabeth Wayland Barber has drawn from data gathered by the most sophisticated new archaeological methods--methods she herself helped to fashion. In a "brilliantly original book" (Katha Pollitt, Washington Post Book World ), she argues that women were a powerful economic force in the ancient world, with their own industry: fabric.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 306-322) and index.

An economic and social history of ancient textiles, looking at what can be learned about the lives, work, and values of early women from the technological record of fabric, an industry for which women were largely responsible.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

Preface (p. 11)
Introduction (p. 17)
1 A Tradition with a Reason (p. 29)
2 The String Revolution (p. 42)
3 Courtyard Sisterhood (p. 71)
4 Island Fever (p. 101)
5 More Than Hearts on Our Sleeves (p. 127)
6 Elements or the Code (p. 147)
7 Cloth for the Caravans (p. 164)
8 Land of Linen (p. 185)
9 The Golden Spindle (p. 207)
10 Behind the Myths (p. 232)
11 Plain or Fancy, New or Tried and True (p. 257)
12 Postscript: Finding the Invisible (p. 286)
Sources (p. 306)
Index (p. 323)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Elizabeth Wayland Barber is the author of Prehistoric Textiles, The Mummies of Ürümchi, and The Dancing Goddesses, among other works. She is professor emerita of archaeology and linguistics at Occidental College, and lives in Utah.