Site: Oakbank Crannog, Loch Tay
County: Perth and Kinross, Scotland
Present location: The Scottish Crannog Centre

Preservation type: Preserved organic
Dimensions: Four fragments: 47mm x 50mm, 35mm x 19mm, 11mm x 10mm, 13mm x 15mm
Material: Wool
Technique: Woven
Structure: 2/1 twill

Warp/weft can be identified: Yes, but assumed based on the different qualities of the yarn

	Warp	Weft
Spin direction	Z-single	S-single
Twist angle (deg)	average:41 range: 23–51	average: 43 range: 30–57
Diameter	average: 0.52mm range: 0.46–0.60	average: 0.67mm range: 0.42–0.91
Ends/cm	average: 15 range: 14–16	average: 12 range: 9–11
Yarn characteristics	Parallel & aligned fibres	Looser, bulkier, less regular

Textile finish: None

Selvedge: Not present

Starting border: Not present

Ending border: Not present

Damage/Wear: –

Additions/Alterations: Not present

Sewn edge: one fragment has an edge that was folded over and sewn with irregular stitches.

Context: found during excavations of the crannog in 1986.

Dating: Iron Age, dated via radiocarbon date using a sample taken from the textile: 480–390 cal BCE (95.4% probability, 2360 +/- 19, SUERC-99033)

Reference:

Harris, S., Houston, F. and Oliver, J. 2022. Textiles from the Crannog: analyses and weave experiment of a 2/1 twill weave from Oakbank, Scotland, 400 BCE. Archaeological Textiles Review 64, 16–27.
Available here: https://tidsskrift.dk/atr/article/view/166600/207698

Wincott Heckett, E. 2012. Scotland and Ireland. In: Gleba, M. and Mannering, U. eds Textiles and Textile Production in Europe. From prehistory to AD 400. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 428–442.

---