Penelopes »Schwestern« – zur Interpretation römischer Webstuhldarstellungen

Abstract

Written sources tell us that during the Principate the Romans adapted the two-beam loom as they regarded it more advanced than the traditional warp-weighted loom. However, research has not yet been able to clarify sufficiently to what extent the two-beam loom actually replaced the warp-weighted loom. There is archaeological evidence that the development varied across various provinces, that it was different as it is suggested by the written sources, and that the two-beam loom was established parallel to the warp-weighted loom rather than the one replacing the other. Therefore, it is unlikely that Roman depictions illustrate the replacement of the warp-weighted loom by the two-beam loom. Instead, the motive of the two-beam loom has to be interpreted as a topos for excellent skills in the art of weaving. The two-beam loom is especially apt for demanding coloured tapestry the production of which was regarded as a female virtue, an ideal which persisted into the Middle Ages.