Textile production in Magna Graecia

Textiles present a special case in the production system of ancient south Italy. For millennia, most households produced cloth on a small scale for their own consumption. The social changes brought about during the early first millennium BC heralded the development of luxury and surplus textile production on a larger and/or more specialised scale. The foundation of Greek colonies led to the arrival of new techniques, fashions and modes of production. In this chapter, we explore the type of information that can be inferred from a detailed analysis of ancient textile remains, of the tools used in their manufacture, and the significance such analyses have in providing insight into cultural encounters and the resulting mixed expressions that (may) occur, the definition of the diverse textile cultures of Magna Graecia and a much more detailed understanding of the organisation of textile production in the region. Combined with a prudent reading of the relevant written and iconographic sources, these data allow us to present for the first time a detailed account of textile economy in Magna Graecia.