Molly Crowfoot and Elizabeth Crowfoot: Pioneers in Textile Archaeology

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This presentation focuses on Grace Mary Hood Crowfoot (Molly; 1877-1957), whose groundbreaking work was foundational in the field of textile archaeology, and on their daughter Elisabeth Grace Crowfoot (1914-2005). Wife of renowned British archaeologist John Winter Crowfoot, Molly trained as a midwife and became a self-taught ethnographer, archaeologist, ceramic specialist, illustrator, and social advocate. She learned textile production from women she lived and worked with in East Africa and the Levant in the first half of the twentieth century, and she applied her knowledge to the study of ancient textiles. Molly conceptualized new methodologies for studying ancient yarns and fabrics. Utilizing ethnographic comparanda that she collected during her decades in Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, and Transjordan, she published articles treating embroidery, mat-making, tent-making, spinning, weaving, looms, and tools. Molly reconstructed ancient textile traditions, and preserved knowledge about traditions at risk in the twentieth century. Elisabeth joined her mother in her work on textiles, and went on to build her own international reputation, producing more than a hundred publications. This presentation highlights the innovative work done by Molly and Elisabeth, both of whom were instrumental in conceptualizing and developing the field of textile archaeology.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52488