Cloth as human experience: Looping, furs, and twining in the Mesolithic of north-west Europe

This paper provides a novel insight into cloth-type materials of late Mesolithic hunter-gatherer-fisher societies of North-west Europe by combining archaeological evidence and person-derived sensory descriptions. Cloth-type materials are flexible, thin sheets that can be wrapped, folded, and shaped with the potential to be used to cover people and things. This definition includes fabrics made from interlaced yarns and animal skins. The archaeological evidence preserved for Mesolithic cloth-type materials includes organic looped and twined fabrics made with plant fibre, as well as archaeozoological remains indicating the use of leather and fur. Evidence focuses on the Late Ertebølle culture of southern Scandinavia c. 5400–3950 BC in its wider geographical and chronological setting. The second aspect of this paper explores these unfamiliar materials through an innovative methodology. Groups of participants were asked to physically engage with a replica Mesolithic cloth assemblage and respond to a questionnaire asking them to describe each one according to its texture, appearance, smell, and sound. Philosophically, this approach is based on the cultural significance of sensation and perception. The sensory description of the cloth types through the handling experiment reframes the standard technical analysis of raw material and identification of fabric structure. It provides a novel understanding of these materials as used by people.