Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TUNICS (The expression of cultural cross-fertilization in Egyptian clothing of the 7th-10th centuries AD.) Reporting period: 2019-09-01 to 2021-08-31 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project The TUNICS project is an innovative comparative study of the garments people were wearing in Egypt during the Early-Medieval period. The main focus is on the tunic. In all civilizations, clothing has essentially played a similar role, in which the primary function is to protect the body, but additionally, clothing is used to express the wearers’ identity. TUNICS is the first comprehensive study of clothing from this period in Egypt and aims to provide a systematic overview of an almost entirely unexplored field in Egyptian archaeology. This research is foremost an object-based study of tunics from various settings: several museums as well as and the excavation site of the cemetery of Fag el-Gamus (Fayyum) and the of the military settlement of Hisn al-Bab on the Egyptian-Nubian border. The tunic was the most common garment during the Roman and Byzantine period and still remained so after the Arab conquest in 642 AD. From this period onwards, in addition to the type of tunic which had been worn since the Roman period, a new type of tunic was introduced. The TUNICS project focuses on the reciprocal influences of the old style and the new style.The research conducted in the framework of the TUNICS project has been organised around four objectives.• To produce a detailed analysis of the tunics and tunic fragments from Egypt (7th – 10th centuries AD) from selected museum collections and two excavation sites. • Create a new analytical tool and typology of tunics that will address the differences and similarities between the two main styles of tunics worn in the Early Medieval period and the mutual influences of both styles • Comparative study of the analytical results and empirical research• To develop an open access dataset with the main information on the tunics. Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far First was started with the development of an Access database. I created 304 different fields in the database, which means that 304 different features per tunic (fragment) could be checked during the analysis of the objects.The development of the Access Database has taken much time of the project, but resulted in a truly state-of-the-art research tool for comparative research. This database is not only suitable for storing data specifically for tunics, but also for the use as a tool for comparative study. The correlation between any detail and the core features of the tunics or any other detail, can be investigated.I was able to visit nine museums with large collections of Egyptian textiles and I have managed to study an extensive amount of tunics, which was very crucial in order to carry out thorough and valuable comparative research. In total I analysed 287 objects, including 53 complete tunics, 150 fragments of tunics and 84 details. The planned fieldwork studies in Egypt at the sites of Fag el-Gamus (BYU) and Hisn al-Bab (OeAI) were all cancelled. However, in September 2021, just after finishing my TUNICS project, I joined the BYU excavation team again for a season at Fag el-Gamus. During three weeks, I was able to complete important research on a number of Early Medieval tunics. During the project, the comparative study of the textiles from the two excavation sites in Egypt has been concentrated on objects that I was already able to study in 2018 and 2019. For the study of objects from Fag el-Gamus, the focus was mainly on the correlation between tunic types and context in the cemetery.In march 2019, I already analysed 80 textilesfrom Hisn al-Bab. The research for Hisn al-Bab textiles during the TUNICS project concerned the comparison of these pieces with textiles from both Egypt and Nubia.For the comparative research, I primarily focus on dividing the tunics into groups of different types. This classification was made on the basis of the technical characteristics, the types of finishing but also the different ways of embellishment. A first group I studied was the tunic with scattered motifs embellishment. A second group were the woven-to-shape tunics made up of three parts of which 65 tunics were studied.I also got involved in a project on the study of looms used in Ancient Egypt, initiated by my colleague M. Mossakowska. I investigated what the technical features of the tunics can learn us about the used looms. The study of the production of the linen and wool tunics on the different looms has taught me a lot about the how and why of different technical features and finishing methods. Empirical research was also part of the TUNIC project. A replica was made of a hairnet in sprang technique. As part of experimental research, I co-organised a week-long workshop during which several weaving test were carried out using various looms.The comparative research of the textiles of Fag el-Gamus has yielded the most innovative results. A new type of tunic was discovered, which is an intermediate form between the woven-to-shape style and and the tunics with vertical warp. In addition, during the study of one burial, four hairnets were found of a type of which only one copy had been found until then. The discovery of four such hairnets enabled me to fully analyse this type. An exceptional tunic was also found in the study collection at BYU. After studying the textiles of Hisn al-Bab, I concluded that this tunic has more similarities with typical features of Nubian textiles than with Egyptian tunics.The results of the research carried out within the TUNICS project have been presented to the academic public at numerous international conferences, online lectures and seminars, and have been published in peer reviewed articles as well as in book chapters. I developed an open access dataset, where the basic features of all analysed tunics are made available online for both researchers and other interested people Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far) The thorough study of tunics from the Early Medieval period in Egypt has provided a highly specialized knowledge. The innovative discoveries of new styles of various garments, are important not only for the research of clothing history, but also for the general archaeological knowledge of Early Medieval Egypt. These objects will also stimulate further research in the fields of economics, trade and migration.The network that I was able to built up resulted in me being contacted by the editor of the Egyptian magazine Rawi. This magazine publishes volumes devoted to a historical subject from Egypt, with a general public as its target group. The next edition, is about the history of clothing in Egypt, and as a consultant I have advised on the creation of 3D drawings of clothing from the Byzantine and Early Arab periods.This MSCA fellowship at the Center for Textile Research at UCPH has helped me tremendously to develope from a researcher in a museum context to an experienced scholar. Being able to demonstrate my research capabilities and the close collaboration with my supervisor Eva Andersson Strand has led to the opportunity for me to defend in 2022 a PhD dissertation at the Saxo Institute of the UCPH.My research has also led me to participate in a new research project RECONTEXT initiated by M. Mossakowska, in which I will analyse the entire collection of Late Antique textiles of the National Museum of Denmark. I will also help with the reconstruction of tunics of which parts have been scattered across various European Museum and University collections. Mixed styles tunic Fag el-Gamus 2002-NW-12 © BYU Egypt Excavation team Wool tunic woven-to-shape KTN 2100 © Phoebus Foundation
