Linked by One Thread

20,000 years ago, a woman created her first item from fibers, and from that moment the history of fabric begins. Helen of Troy embroiders the feats of the Trojans on purple, while Penelope weaves by day and unravels by night to deceive her suitors. Medea soaks fabrics in dragon's blood to deal with a rival, Assyrian women acquire wool and conduct business, while Egyptian frescoes depict women at the spindle. For many centuries, they wove and spun, sheared sheep and processed flax, twisted threads and sewed. The pattern on a tunic or dress became a symbol of social status and wealth.
Exploring the oldest items made of fabric – simple cloaks of the Stone Age and Sumerian tunics, fanciful Minoan dresses and the purple of Roman emperors – renowned historian Elizabeth Barber skillfully intertwines narrative threads and places the story of women and women's labor on the historical canvas. In this book, first published 30 years ago and now a classic, the everyday lives of women come to the forefront through fabric – the fabric they spun, sewed, and wore.