projects
ADigTex.
Archaeology, Archaeometry, and Digitalisation of Ancient Textiles. From Pompeii to the Roman Empire
National Research Project PRIN 2022 Prot. 20228SNZ2T
ADigTex: Unraveling the Textile Manifacturing of the Roman Empire
ADigTex is a multidisciplinary project involving Universities of Sapienza and Padua that aims to investigate the technology and economy of textile production in the Roman Empire by integrating data from a broad range of evidence such as fabrics, textile tools, literary sources and archaeological contexts. The project seeks to generate new knowledge regarding raw materials and natural resources for finishing textiles, tools and technical operations, as well as on a macro level, workplaces and social practices connected with Roman textile cultures.
This aim is achieved by combining local and empire-wide scales of investigation. The local scale involves an in-depth analysis of archaeological textile evidence provided by the ancient site of Pompeii, which not only exhibits extraordinary state of conservation and high number of extant textile finds but is also highly representative of a dynamic, multicultural town of the Roman Empire. The case study of Pompeii is then contextualised by zooming out to a global scale achieved through creation of an Open Access Roman Textile Database (RTD), which will allow digitising the extensive but disjointed scientific archives of Roman textiles. The database will serve as a tool for both preservation of data (in some cases of no longer extant textiles) and research.
The innovative conception of RTD including a digital corpus of textile fragments, tools and all the extant archaeometric documentation, as well as the surveys of the archaeological contexts, usually analysed separately, will become the basis for future large-scale analysis of Roman textile production, resulting in an impact far beyond the scientific community.
Project duration
1 December 2023 – 30 November 2025
Multidisciplinary consortium
Unit 1 PI Marco Galli, Sapienza University of Rome.
Unit 2 PI Margarita Gleba, Università degli Studi di Padova.
Focus areas
Archaeology & Archaeometry, Experimental Archaeology & Traceology, Digitalisation of Archaeological Textiles of the Roman Empire
Total budget
EUR 263,823
Why Textiles Matter in Roman History
Textiles played an essential role in Roman World, serving not just as clothing but as indicators of social status, economic wealth, and cultural identity. The production and trade of textiles were deeply embedded in the Roman economy, contributing significantly to both local and empire-wide economic systems. However, despite their importance, the study of ancient textiles has long been hampered by the fragility of organic materials, which rarely survive in the archaeological record. Until recent decades, scholars have primarily relied on literary sources and artistic representations to understand textile production. With new archaeometrics techniques and advancements in digital preservation, ADigTex is now taking a data-driven approach to Roman textile studies, aiming to collect, analyze, and digitally archive an extensive body of material evidence.
A Two-Pronged Approach to Textile Manifacturing of the Roman Empire: Local and Empire-Wide Investigation
ADigTex Approach
The ADigTex Project is a multidisciplinary research initiative that aims to shed new light on the technology, economy, and cultural significance of textile production in the Roman Empire. Conducted by the Universities of Sapienza and Padua, the project integrates archaeological, scientific, and digital methodologies to reconstruct the textile production chain from raw materials to finished products. By doing so, ADigTex not only seeks to understand the technological aspects of textile manufacture but also to explore the social, economic, and trade networks that revolved around textiles in the ancient world.
To achieve its goals, ADigTex employs a dual-scale approach, combining detailed local case studies with a broader, empire-wide perspective:
Pompeii as a Microcosm of Roman Textile Production
Pompeii Fullonica of Stephanus: Experimental Archaeology of A3TEX Center for the ‘Night of the Research’
The ancient city of Pompeii serves as an exceptional case study due to its unique state of preservation. Buried under volcanic ash in 79 AD, Pompeii has provided archaeologists with a rare and extensive collection of textile remains, tools, and workshops. The project will conduct a systematic study of textile finds from Pompeii, including fiber analyses, weaving techniques, and workshop structures, to reconstruct how textiles were produced, traded, and used in daily life. By analyzing workspaces and textile artifacts, ADigTex will explore the social organization of textile production—who made textiles, in what kinds of settings, and how this production intersected with gender, labor, and commerce.
The Roman Textile Database (RTD): A Global View of Textile Production
Beyond Pompeii, ADigTex is launching the first-ever Open Access Roman Textile Database (RTD). This digital archive will compile and standardize dispersed textile data from across the Roman Empire, including Italy, Britain, Egypt, and Western Asia. The RTD will include textile fragments, weaving tools, production sites, and scientific analyses, allowing scholars worldwide to search, compare, and analyze data like never before. By integrating literary sources, archaeological findings, and modern analytical techniques, the database will provide a comprehensive view of textile production at both local and imperial levels.
Urban Culture in the Roman Empire about 117 CE
