Need some help: Iberians

[Mythos_Ruler]

Hey, I am doing some textures for the Iberians for the game "0 A.D." and I was wondering if there are any particular patterns of textiles (blankets, banners, rugs) that are associated with the Iberians.

EDIT: Time period would be anywhere from around 600BC up to the Roman period.

[Mythos_Ruler]

Any Iberian specialists that could help?

[LUCIUS ALFENUS AVITIANUS]

Hello,

I'm not specialist, but you can get some inspiration seeing that pictures:

http://www.reconstrucciohistorica.cat/c ... lafell.php

There are from a spanish re-enactment team, based in Calafell, an iberian town near from Tarraco.

They do a lot of research, so the rigour is OK!

[Untilatie]

Thanks for your comments Cèsar!

Hi Michael!

Sorry, I’ve been trying to response your post, but the maintenance tasks didn’t let me do it.

Yes, there are a lot of patterns and textile associated to the Iberian people. We’ve got many evidences of then through different ways (basically classic authors’s references, sculpture, pottery…). Unfortunately, till the moment we’ve got no important archaeological textile evidence.

It`s a really complicated question, because Iberian culture was not an homogenized one, and there were different patterns depending on the area. I’ll try to resume the male patterns.

The ancient Iberians from the south of Spain (turdetanians) were dressed with linen and wool. In fact, according to Strabo, the turdetanian wool had an excellent quality. You can find some examples of their clothes patterns on the sculptural set from Cerrillo Blanco, Jaén, dated at Vth cent. BC. ( http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/cultura/ ... S2_3_1.jsp )
And also, here you have an ideal design of one of those noble warriors drawn by Sergio Segura…


and this is our reconstruction, without the helmet (ups..!)


According to Titus Livi, when he describes the Iberian warriors of Hannibal (just before the beginning of the Battle of Cannae), he says that they wear a white tunic with purple/red ribbons/bands, as you can see here…


We think this description is applicable only to the south-east iberians. These south east Iberians were dressed with crude color wool tunics (the natural color of the wool) in summer. About his winter clothes, there is no clear evidence. We suppose that they used long wool tunics or blankets (maybe the famous sagum described by Apianus, although his reference talks about the celtiberian people of the IInd cent bC.). You can find a lot of information of patterns taking a look at the Iberian pottery from Sant Miquel de Lliria (Valencia), dated at the end of IIIrd cent. or the beginning of the IInd cent. bC. As I said before, probably, this Titus Livi’s description was only applicable to the Iberians from the south east of Hispania, to the south of Ebro river (Valencia, Alicante, Murcia, Albacete). This means that other Iberian peoples (like the north of the Ebro ones) could be not identified as Iberians under roman eyes. Maybe, ‘cause his panoply was strongly influenced by the Gaul’s since IV cent. bC. and the original source that inspired Titus Livi could have been confused with them.



In fact, all along the zone to the north of the Ebro river, the most important characteristic that allows to speak of Iberian culture is pottery. The panoply and some other cultural aspects (writing, cutting head exhibitions as trophies) of these people are strongly influenced from Gauls. This is the reason we can't deny definitively the clothes patterns of this area was not like Gallic one. So, long bracae and tunic are both accepted between others.

We think that wool was used in fall and winter clothes, and linen in spring and summer.

Hope this helps.

Best regards

[Mythos_Ruler]

Good information! Any idea what kind of colors and patterns they would have used in things like rugs and blankets or artwork?

[Mythos_Ruler]

What I meant to say was, are there any visual reconstructions of such blankets and rugs and patterns? What I am trying to do is present a decent visual of the Iberians in the game. Something like this is what we have so far:



You can see the blankets there. Would these be at all accurate or no? I was shooting in the dark when I created the texture and Google was of no help. lol

[Untilatie]

Sorry, Michael...
As far as my knowledge arrives, there are no archaeological evidence at all about those patterns you ask for... Nevertheless, I'll look for more information.

The only thing I can tell you is that some Iberian people (south east ones) used to use damascene works in their textiles, as you can see over the Dama from Baza dresses.



They knew dark and light blue, light green, red, yellow, dark brown and garnet colours. The dark wool was used too, obtained from a native variety of sheep. So, I recommend you can use anyone of them. They used vegetal mats over the floor too.

By other side, Iberian people did not use the tegulae until the Roman arrived deffinitively, to the Ist cent. b C., so if you are reconstructing an Iberian settlement before that date, don't use it. The Iberian houses ceilings were made of cane and mud...



To make you an idea of a real Iberian Settlement take a look at this:
http://www.ciutadellaiberica.com/galeri ... idioma=Cat
It's an Iberian citadel partially reconstructed as it was in IIIrd cent. BC.

Best Regards

[Mythos_Ruler]

Thank you for your post José! I have found that many cultures of this period, whether they are Celts, Persians, or Greeks, have patterns in their clothing, blankets, and other textiles that are very distinctive for that culture. It's too bad our knowledge of the Iberian people(s) in this area (and others) is so incomplete.