During my PhD, I came across a box of Iron Age textile fragments from the Chieftain’s Grave of Oss that had been stored in a depot and largely forgotten since their discovery in the 1930s. Wanting to extract as much information as possible from all available finds, I collaborated with textile specialist (and all-around amazing scholar and person) Karina Grömer to study these materials, as well as textiles from a contemporary elite burial at Slabroekse Heide. Karina came to the Netherlands and introduced me to the basics of textile analysis — and I was immediately hooked.
Since then, I have continued to develop and expand my expertise in ancient textiles, working on several related research projects. Textiles rarely survive in the archeological record, which means they are often underrepresented in broader interpretations of the past. Yet, as I learned through working with Karina, they can offer extraordinary insights into past technologies, identities, and the people who made and wore them. This experience inspired me to make it a particular focus of my research to re-analyze and publish prehistoric textiles from the Netherlands. And I am well on my way!
As someone who also enjoys expressive and colorful dress in everyday life, one of my favorite projects to date has been working on what is often referred to as ‘the oldest dress of the Netherlands’. More results from this and other textile research are on the way soon — including some rather spectacular new insights from a remarkable find.