Morphological Analysis of Fibers of the Seip Textiles through the Microscopic Examination

현미경 관찰을 통한 Seip 직물의 섬유 형태 연구

The fiber morphologies of the textiles from the burials of the Seip group of Ohio Hopewell (ca. 100 B.C. to A.D. 500)mounds were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy. A theoretical model was proposed which delineates the rate of morphological change in fibers through time and the cultural activities which occur during the life of a textile element. The Seip textiles were categorized according to their visual and structural characteristics. The microscopic examination of the Seip textiles yielded the evidence of animal hair fibers and bast fibers. The animal hair fibers of the seip textiles were identified as the hair of rabbit or hare. The bast fibers of the Seip textiles exhibited variation in morphological features such as the degree of bundle separation and the presence of transverse striations, fibrillations, or trans-verse cracks.