Abstract:

The article summarises information on a large assemblage of medieval wool and silk textiles found during an archaeological excavation of waste layers from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in the centre of Prague. The work primarily presents wool cloths (fulled fabrics) and fabrics (without fulling) in plain and twill weave, which make up the vast majority of the more than 1,500 fragments. The silk textiles presented are interesting evidence of the presence of expensive imported goods in the Bohemian environment. The results, based mainly on textile technology studies of the fabrics, are also supplemented with information acquired during analyses of their current and original colour, including an identification of dyeing sources.