Abstract
During the excavations at Kibbutz Megiddo (al-Lajjun), thirteen linen textile impressions and coiling marks on pottery were discovered. The textile impressions exhibit either a delicate or a crude texture. Textiles were used to cover ceramic vessels to prevent them from drying too quickly, which could cause the vessel to crack. Impressions on the interior of vessels suggest that they were modeled, apparently using clay coils, around a textile bag filled with wet sand, which provided their general rounded shape. The basketry impressions on the bases of pottery vessels were not created intentionally but resulted from placing freshly shaped pots on mats to dry before firing or from the use of mats as primitive turntables. This latter possibility was probably the case for the Mamluk-period imprints from Megiddo.
Keywords
textile impressions, coiling, Mamluk period, linen, balanced tabby weave
Recommended Citation
Shamir, Orit
(2026)
"Kibbutz Megiddo (al-Lajjun): The Textile Impressions,"
Qadum: Journal of Excavation Reports from Israel: Vol. 2, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70967/3078-8528.1049
Available at:
https://publications.iaa.org.il/qadum/vol2/iss1/5
Included in
Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons
