Weaving Stories: The Threads of Myth and Archaeology in Ancient Greece #RealArchaeology

Thank you, Flint & team, for asking me to be part of #RealArchaeology.
In ancient Greece, weaving was more than a craft—it was a vital form of storytelling that wove myths, legends, and culture into the fabric of everyday life. In this video, I explore the fascinating intersection between weaving and storytelling in the ancient world, uncovering how archaeological findings reveal the symbolic importance of woven textiles and the tales they carried.

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WHO AM I?
Hey there, I’m Cinzia DuBois On this channel, I talk about dark and ancient history, literature and folklore.

❗️DISCLAIMER
I'm very dyslexic, so I apologise for any mispronunciations that occur when I'm reading scripts for videos. Additionally, whilst flattered, I'm only a PhD student and not a professional educator. As such, I would advise against ever citing my videos or using them as an academic resource: please instead cite references for papers I list in the description box.

Resources:
Carr, K. (2000) “Women’s work: spinning and weaving in the Greek home,” in Cardon and Feugère, eds. Pp.163–6.
Cooksey CJ. 2001. Tyrian Purple: 6,6’-Dibromoindigo and Related Compounds. Molecules. Aug 31;6(9):736–69. doi: 10.3390/60900736. PMCID: PMC6236399.
Euripides. Children of Heracles. Hippolytus. Andromache. Hecuba. Edited and translated by David Kovacs. Loeb Classical Library 484. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1995.
—— 2012. Homer the Preclassic. Berkeley: University of California Press. Accessed October 21, 2024. ProQuest Ebook Central.
Tsakirgis, Barbara. 2015. “Whole Cloth: Exploring the Question of Self-Sufficiency through the Evidence for Textile Manufacture and Purchase in Greek Houses.” Chapter. In The Ancient Greek Economy: Markets, Households and City-States, edited by Edward M. Harris, David M. Lewis, and Mark Woolmer, pp. 166–86. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

[LF-peok]

The way they describe colors is the way you’re supposed to describe colors when speaking to a blind person. Instead of saying yellow, you can say the color of a fresh lemon.

[katarinarichterova]

Looking forward to this one. I am justnin the middle of knitting of my first jumper and as the sleeves are aproaching, my will diminishes.

[TheSilveryew]

Thank you for this video! It's also interesting to consider weaving/textiles/spinning with the idea of fate or destiny, for example the Norns shaping the destiny of people by spinning their threads.

[ericjohnson]

Anansi the Spider, the West African trickster and master of stories, weaves his webs and his stories and it is clear the Asante had the same associations. Fascinating post Lady of the Library❤

[lindanelson]

You are such a thorough scholar. Thank you for casting light on the women whose contributions to civilization were lost.

[lethalchicken]

Thank you for highlighting aspects of the "women's work" that shaped the world as we know it! So undervalued and under-covered in my opinion, yet no less important than the more visible contributions to human heritage.

[smitinathan]

This was fascinating! My audience loves textile history, so I will definitely share this video with them :)

[philosophyoftrucking]

I’m glad you’re still pursuing your doctorate.

[snorcore]

An interesting video! I hadn't realized how weaving was so prominent in the ancient world, although it makes perfect sense now. Thank you!

[Eric.Taylor.]

Oh good, this will be up at 7 AM my time. Something to watch with breakfast!

[TheSilveryew]

I'm so happy I'll be round for this premiere ^_^

[PITAchic]

Holy moly this was absolutely fascinating and I absolutely am now looking forward to that book you mentioned. This is so up my alley that even I didn't know I was interested in it. Thank you for really piquing it. Absolutely bookmarking this to ravage your sources.

[toomiepal]

I'm a knitter and have done some yarn dyeing. This was fascinating in terms of weaving in myths, storytelling, (which is a whole related rabbit hole for the craft) and archaeology. The process of creating purple dyed fabric is amazing. Thank you!

[BlancheNeigefan]

This sounds like a great subject! Can't wait to watch!

[winterburden]

Thanks for this fascinating video Cinzia!

[keenanarthur]

'Weaving' is one meaning of the Sanskrit 'tantra, ' which can also mean "book, " "an esoteric mystical system, " "means of crossing over, " etc. and relates to weaving in an esoteric context as the weaving of the guṇas/threads/qualities of nature (prakṛti) by universal consciousness to create objective reality as a contracted expression of its unlimited energy. I got my MA in religious studies and Sanskrit in 2019 but am too fed up with academic pretensions to get a PhD and have written two 300-page books on Hindu tantra and Northern Tradition Shamanism since graduating, both of which are awaiting publication. Arachne with her out-weaving of Athena is one of my favorite Greek goddesses, and the Norns are referenced as weaving the fates of mortals in Helgakvitha Hundingsbana I. That poem may have been influenced by the Moirai, while in Völuspa the Nornir are described as carving peoples' fate into sticks in a manner reminiscent of rune magic. Frigg is also a weaver.

[Scotorca]

I love history. I enjoy your interpretations. Thankyou

[MrAaroncissell]

This was a great subjet type. Setup and delivered nicely. Thanks

[jennaforesti]

I realize this is mostly based on the Odyssey. I'm wondering if in your other work you also include mentions of "the fates" - spinning life threads in Greek mythology and actually weaving in Norse mythology. It's always been a fascinating concept to me, especially as the length of warp threads is normally determined before the weaving commences.

[squeaker]

As usual, a video that is both informative and entertaining. Thank you.