Meinarti (Sudanese Nubia). Used as external shroud of the burial found under the floor of Building VIII, Level 5 (settlement). Field registration number: 6-K-3/387.
13th c. CE
Sudan National Museum, Khartoum (Sudan). Inventory number 18251.
Numerous fragments, estimated total surface ca. 2m2. The bad condition of the fabric (used as a shroud and deeply impregnated with body's decomposition products) prevents from measuring each fragment separately.
Weft-faced tabby with supplementary continuous pattern wefts, floating on the reverse. Tapestry weave appears punctually, in rows where three colours are applied. The warp setting (6 simple threads alternating with 3 double threads) creates a ribbed surface and reinforces the structure of the fabric.
The fabric is decorated with chequered bands, where blue, green, dark red/brown and yellow (cream) squares alternate. On the face where the warp creates a ribbed effect, the yellow and dark red/brown squares are separated by blue or green ribs, while the blue and green square alternate with dark red/brown ribs. The fabric is deeply impregnated with products of body's decomposition, so the pattern's rhythm is difficult to establish. On the reverse side, where the wefts float, only the plain chequered decor is visible. The selvedge is adorned with backstitch embroidery.
- wool
- S
- cream (undyed)
- 3 threads/cm
- wool
- Z
- red, blue, green, cream
- 14 picks/cm
The selvedge is preserved on some fragments. It is a reinforced and decorative selvedge, worked in reduction on 5 warps (probably 4 double and 1 simple), which creates a triangular pattern. The wefts of the ground fabric and the wefts of the selvedge are juxtaposed in slit tapestry. The chevron pattern created by this arrangement is underlined by an embroidery in backstitch.
Textile examined by B. Czaja and M.M. Wozniak in February 2017.
Dye identification (HPLC-MS) by Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw in May 2017.
Imported.