My letter to Jack:
Just at first glance, the reasons I believe Plate 1
is an EXCELLENT candidate for an ASC interpretation are:
1. Presence of entoptic imagery and imagery related to the 3-tiered cosmos;
2. Use in ceremonial context, possibly a sacrificial event (which makes it even BETTER as the officiant, who likely wore the garment while performing the actual sacrifice, was serving as a shamanic guide, assisting the animal from one world to the next, in a very literal way!);
3. Curation in the tomb, the passage through which the decedent travels to the spirit world.
The question about the origin of some recurring naturalistic motifs is very interesting to me. I believe it is a continuum, from geometric shapes (possible entoptics) to naturalistic, culturally-biased depictions. The abstract object is interpreted as something familiar to the community. A circle is interpreted as the breast of a particular goddess, for example. Or a zigzag is interpreted as an anaconda. And then those naturalistic images appear together with their antecedents, the geometric motifs, in an artwork. This coincides with the experience of entoptics during the three stages of altered states of consciousness.
In my fevered brain, I think that question can be answered from the perspective of altered states! More and more researchers are suggesting that ASC may be responsible for our success as a species. It is a strong supporter of social cohesion (gathering round the campfire, dancing rhythmically, etc. all produce altered states to varying degrees, increasing the flow of oxytocin and other neurotransmitters telling individuals that they are safe and happy). A propensity toward altered states would certainly have been selected for. I believe it is the origin of all art. Okay, I hope I don't sound like a crackpot!
Beth.
O, and what percentage of ancient textile finds occur in high-status contexts, would you guess?
Jack's Response:
Morning Beth:A few comments
1. no, you do not sound like a crackpot at all, just
someone who is enthusiastic and not afraid to show it...good, i like honesty of
all types and don't appreciate those who guard their feelings too heavily
2. the textiles in the cult kelim exhibition are
not clothing, they are fragments of tapestry used in various ceremonial
environments...i sincerely doubt they were produced to be used in any secular
way
3. your belief geometric forms evolved into
naturalistic ones is the other half of the argument for the reverse...ie
naturalistic iconography evolved, or devolved as it usually is the case, into
geometric and unrecognizable one
frankly, i doubt either is be all and end all, and probably certain societies
started with the naturalistic and others the geometric
there are a number of factors involved here:
a. the desire of those in the know to hide information from others, hence
the use of geometry i.e. symbols, rather than actual (naturalistic)
b. the limitations early looms, ie loom-less weaving which was done on the
warp-weighted loom, was therefore unable to reproduce highly complex
iconography
but as weaving technology developed, which i think
could have initially happened as early as during the middle Palaeolithic (circa
20,-30,000BC), more detailed forms could have been woven....but nothing remains
of anything even close to this period... so regardless of when the warp weighted
loom was first used to weave, or an actual loom invented, the earliest complex
weavings (and we do have some of these -- a few in the cult kelim exhibition
are candidates, as they could predate coptic period, something I strongly believe)
are both geometric and naturalistic...hence the probability that neither was
the initiator and the other the descendant
c. in history continuums do not work until there is
cohesion of society...by this i mean until societies become fully developed and
have mastered food production (animal domestication and
agriculture) then it seems one can postulate continuums for all
sorts of activity, like weaving
but it is highly probable the first weaving on warp
weighted looms was done by weavers still dependent on hunting and gathering and
not yet fully dependent on agricultural domestication...this is just a guess on
my part but an educated one, as a warp weighted loom could produce a reasonable
sized weaving (2X3;.3X4 feet) in three months, the minimum time gathers would be
able to stay in a location...most nomads move with their animals, and surely
animal domestication proceeded agriculture by many moons, two or three times a year,
which would allow for a loom to be strung and a weaving to be produced
also the loom weights, used for the warp weighted loom, have been found
at some very early archaeological sites...proof people were weaving then
 |
| Inscribed loom weight, mid-fifth millennium BCE, Vinca-Turdas culture, present-day Romania. Inscriptions are on both front and back as well as along sides. Photo from "Signs of Civilization." (pic and caption from Cari Ferraro.) |
remember a weaving produced on a warp weighted loom
was good for nothing other than transmitting iconography, as the slit tapestry,
the type of weaving produced on such a loom, had no real tensile strength, or
ability to keep heat, or to repel water....
and yes it is true ASC probably help to jump start,
or to create, innovation for human development...here's another interesting
fact: Western society is the only society in man's long developmental history
to reject the use of substances capable of producing ASC....probably one good
reason why modern society is so fucked up, materialistic, warlike and completely
selfish
as for your last question in this email?
well, depends on what time period ancient is?
the grave goods of all types of societies,
worldwide, yield textile and weaving...most with iconographies that are not
complex...highly developed and complex iconography is rare but it does occur in
both large scale, i.e. high culture, and small scale, i.e. low culture settings
editor's note: ACK! FORMATTING!!!!! sorry. Also, visit Miri
