Women's Work

Twenty thousand years ago, women were making and wearing clothing created from spun fibres. In Women's Work, archaeologist-linguist Elizabeth Wayland Barber "weaves the strands of mythology and literature, ethnology and documented history into a rich tapestry" (John Noble Wilford, The New York Times Book Review), illuminating the vital role women held in preindustrial societies. With a distinctive and innovative approach to ancient remains, Barber examines ancient textiles from Stone Age string skirts and ancient Egyptian sleeved tunics to intricate Neolithic Swiss linens and colourfully patterned Minoan dresses, offering us captivating glimpses into the daily lives of women through the cloth they made and wore.

Review: "Elizabeth Barber is as knowing and perceptive as any archaeologist-author in sight... Her topic is wonderfully fresh." -- Scientific American
"A fascinating history and prehistory of the making of textiles, a craft, exclusive to women (including queens and goddesses), that preceded and made possible civilization itself." -- The New York Times Book Review
"Fortunately, this most distinctive of female occupations has a sympathetic and authoritative chronicler in Elizabeth Wayland Barber." -- Mary R. Lefkowitz - The New York Review of Books