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The discovery of a loom almost 3,500 years old in Cabezo Redondo, in southern Spain, revealed a more sophisticated textile production in the Bronze Age, with indications of denser, varied fabrics and even of a possible primitive twill much earlier than previously imagined
The Bronze Age loom found in Cabezo Redondo, in southern Spain, allowed for the partial reconstruction of a textile structure dated to the second millennium B.C. and revealed a level of production more advanced than what is normally associated with the time, with indications of more complex fabrics and possible use of wool.
The analysis was conducted from charred wooden beams, plant fiber ropes, and clay weights discovered at the archaeological settlement. The set was identified as part of a weighted warp loom, a type widely used in prehistoric Europe and the Mediterranean for the production of fabrics with threads held vertically by weights fixed at the lower end.
Since these looms were primarily made of wood and plant materials, complete preservation is rare in the archaeological record.
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Therefore, most of the accumulated knowledge about ancient textile production has until now mainly come from loom weights and spindles, rather than from the structure of the equipment itself.
Cabezo Redondo Loom Expands Understanding of the Bronze Age
The study was led by Ricardo E. Basso Rial from the University of Granada and treated the find as an unusual opportunity to observe the morphology of the loom, its spatial organization, and weaving practices. The preservation of the wooden elements helped overcome a recurring limitation in research on Bronze Age textile production in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula.
Textile production in this region was already known through the study of loom weights and spindles. Still, the almost constant absence of wooden components restricted more detailed reconstructions of how the loom functioned and the techniques applied in the daily lives of these communities.
The case of Cabezo Redondo stands out precisely because it preserved, in addition to the weights, structural parts of the equipment and plant fiber ropes. This makes the set one of the best-preserved examples of a loom with weights in the warp already identified in the western Mediterranean.
Preserved Structure Indicates Finer and More Varied Fabrics
The team concluded that the wooden elements of the loom were made of Aleppo pine, a tree native to the region. The clay weights drew attention for being much lighter than others known in the Mediterranean region of the Iberian Peninsula.
This detail led researchers to consider that the loom might have been designed for the production of finer or more varied fabrics. The characteristics of the set also suggest the capacity to produce not only open tafeta fabrics but also denser and technically more complex pieces.
Among these possibilities is the initial production of twill fabrics, a hypothesis treated as an important advancement for understanding Bronze Age textile technology in the Iberian Peninsula. The partial reconstruction of the loom, in this context, expands the scope of available evidence regarding the sophistication of weaving practices during the period.
Possible Primitive Twill Indicates Change in Textile Production
Weaving in tafeta, often associated with plant fibers such as linen, predominated from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. Twill, on the other hand, would only become common in the early first millennium B.C., which makes the hypothesis raised in Cabezo Redondo especially relevant for the study of the evolution of textile techniques.
Twill fabrics were usually produced with wool, and this association reinforces the possibility that the settlement participated in a broader transformation in textile production. This change would involve greater use of wool and an increasing diversification of the types of fabric manufactured.
For researchers, the value of the find also lies in the fact that the loom was found practically frozen at the moment it was in use, almost 3,500 years ago.
The discovery offers a rare portrait of the daily work of weaving in the Bronze Age and directly enhances the understanding of the technical development of this activity in the western Mediterranean.
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