Halifax, which is situated in the heart of the great textile trade of
Lancashire and Yorkshire, has been a home of the woollen manufacture
since the earliest time, and it is only meet, therefore, that its
museum should possess specimens of the tools used in the early days of
spinning, weaving, and cloth making generally. In spite of the
considerable progress made towards that end, many typical specimens
are still wanting, and, while we have plenty of material for the study
of weaving in various parts of the world, we are lacking in everything
relating to the industry in Ancient Egypt and Greece. Failing
specimens I have had recourse to illustrations, but the Egyptian ones
published by Cailliaud, Rosellini, Sir J. G. Wilkinson and Lepsius,
contradict each other in many important points, so that those who
study them find them practically useless for an understanding of the
art as carried on in the Nile lands. Fortunately, last year, Mr. N. de
G. Davies, the well-known Egyptologist, hearing of my difficulty, very
generously placed some of his copies of tomb drawings at my disposal,
and with this invaluable help I have been enabled to complete the
present paper, and to lay before Halifax students some new details of
manufacture bearing upon their staple industry.
H. Ling Roth.
Bankfield Museum, Halifax.
April 1913.