Archaeological studies Leiden University (ASLU) Clothes make the man

Textiles from the early medieval period that are occasionally found in excavations are the scarce remains of garments, household fabrics, sails etc. Although several authors have published textile finds from the Netherlands in the past,systematic research of these finds has not been conducted yet. Where the surrounding countries have witnessed a development in which textile archaeology has become a fundamental part of archaeological research, a similar development has been lacking in the Netherlands. As a result our knowledge of the production and use of textiles is mainly derived from the surrounding

countries, where more research has been carried out.

In this book Chrystel Brandenburgh has focused on the use of cloth and clothing

in the area now defined as the Netherlands, in the period between 400 and

1000 AD. For this purpose textile remains from both settlements and

cemeteries have been analysed from different parts of the country. This

geographical distribution, the large timespan of the dataset as well as the

obvious differences in site context result in a very varied picture of the use of fabrics in this period. Using the textile remains from the Dutch cemeteries it was nevertheless possible to reconstruct the way people were dressed when

buried, as well as to establish the differences between cemeteries and groups

of individuals within these cemeteries. Moreover, by studying the fabrics from

the settlements insight was gained into the production process and techniques

used in this period.

Chrystel Brandenburgh obtained her degree in archaeology in 1997 at the

Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University. From 2003 onwards she has been

working as a municipality archaeologist of Leiden. In 2008 Chrystel registered

as a PhD extramural at Leiden University. During subsequent years she

combined her job in Leiden with her PhD-research on early medieval textiles

from the Netherlands.