The warp-weighted loom is a simple and ancient form of

loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...

in which the warp yarns hang freely from a bar, which is supported by upright poles which can be placed at a convenient slant against a wall. Bundles of warp threads are tied to hanging weights called loom weights which keep the threads taut. Evidence of the warp-weighted loom appears in the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

period in central Europe. It is depicted in artifacts of

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

in Greece. Loom weights from the Bronze Age were excavated in

Miletos Miletus (Ancient Greek: Μίλητος, Mílētos) was an influential ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia, near the mouth of the Maeander River in present day Turkey. Renowned in antiquity for its wealth, maritime power, and e ...

, a Greek city in Anatolia. The warp-weighted looms were common throughout Europe, remaining in use in some areas of

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

into the modern era. In

Sápmi is the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people. Sápmi includes the northern parts of Fennoscandia, stretching over four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Most of Sápmi lies north of the Arctic Circle, boun ...

, the warp-weighted loom is a living cultural heritage today, particularly in use for weaving of traditional blankets among the Sea Sami. The warp tension needed on a loom is roughly proportional to yarn diameter, and loom weights must be positioned in an even, level row, with all the threads hanging nearly straight down, for smooth weaving. This means that the shape of a loom weight limits a loom to certain

thread count Textile fibers, threads, yarns and fabrics are measured in a multiplicity of units. * A fiber, a single filament of natural material, such as cotton, linen or wool, or artificial material such as nylon, polyester, metal or mineral fiber, or huma ...

s, and the mass of the loom weight is related to the yarn used. This means that loom weights can be used to calculate the density and other properties of the fabric made on them.

History

The warp-weighted loom may have originated in the

period. The earliest evidence of warp-weighted looms comes from sites belonging to the Starčevo culture in modern Serbia and Hungary from late Neolithic sites in Switzerland. This loom was used in

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

, and spread north and west throughout Europe thereafter. It was extensively used in the north among Scandinavian people. For yet unknown reasons, the warp-weighted loom diminished in popularity and disappeared from common use. The arrival of mechanized looms and industry may have contributed to this decline. It remained in use longest in Scandinavia; researcher Marta Hoffman found warp-weighted looms still in use on an isolated island off the coast of Norway and among the

Sami Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ne ...

of Norway and Finland in the 1950s. Today, the warp-weighted loom is used as a hobby and in historic preservation societies. File:Earthenware relic from Bersabe.jpg, left, Loom weight discovered in Bersabe, Galilee File:Römermuseum Schwarzenacker, Germany (9296999213).jpg, Ancient Roman loom replica File:SaxonLoomweights.JPG, Saxon loomweights File:Icelandic warp weighted loom.jpg, Icelandic warp-weighted loom

Use

The warp-weighted loom is used in a near-vertical position, and the fabric is woven from the top of the loom toward the ground. This allows the weaver to walk back-and-forth while working, so that wider cloth can be woven than is practical on a ground loom. On Ancient Greek

vase painting Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

s, two weavers, most often women, are shown working side-by-side on the warp-weighted loom. This is unusual because most other looms require a resting position of standing or sitting. According to Artemidorus, if one dreams of a warp-weighted loom it means an upcoming journey. If one dreams of any other type of loom, one should expect rest. Additionally, extra warp thread can be wound around the weights. When a weaver has reached the bottom of the available warp, the completed section can be rolled around the top beam, and additional lengths of warp threads can be unwound from the weights to continue. This frees the weaver from vertical size constraints.

Gallery

File:Greekurnwithweavers (cropped to warp-weighted loom).jpg, The weaver with her arm behind her back is passing (not throwing) the shuttle through the shed; the weaver reaching upwards is battening the previous weft yarn, beating it against the fell (cloth already woven). Greek urn, ca. 550–530 BCE. File:Cubiculum Diurnum - Roman House - Augusta Raurica - August 2013-012.JPG, Reconstruction of a Roman loom. Warps have been chainstitched together; weights are resting on a low bench. File:Reconstruction-of-neolithic-loom.jpg, Reconstruction of a vertical neolithic loom with genuine loom weights and string heddles, on display at the National Museum of Textile Industry in Sliven,

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

File:VerticalLoom.JPG, Reconstruction of a vertical neolithic loom with shed bar without string heddles, on display at

Piatra Neamț Piatra Neamț (; ; ) is the capital city of Neamț County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in northeastern Romania. Because of its very privileged location in the Divisions of the Carpathians, Eastern Carpathian mountains, it is con ...

Museum File:WarpWeightedLoomCTMLodzPoland.jpg, Warp weighted loom with string heddles in the Central Textile Museum in

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

File:Bibracte metier tisser.jpg, Loom with four heddle-rods. Mechanism for stopping the beam from rotating during weaving is also clearly shown. Reconstruction of a Gaulish loom. File:Haithabu Senkrechtwebstuhl 1.jpg, Three heddle-rods.

Notes

References

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External links

* Article describing the experimental reconstruction of the 6th-7th centur
Anglo-Saxon warp-weighted loom from Pakenham, Suffolk

Anna Grostøls film about Warp-weighted loom in Nordern-Norway, del I

Anna Grostøls film about Warp-weighted loom in Nordern-Norway, del II

Anna Grostøls film about Warp-weighted loom in Nordern-Norway, del III

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warp-Weighted Loom Weaving equipment Culture of ancient Greece