Lana Marina, id est Sea Silk

Abstract

Among the textiles of antiquity, there are fabrics and clothing materials that are almost only described in literature, with the help of which conclusions can be drawn about the textiles used in antiquity. Yet, in the case of these clothing materials, even the exact identification often encounters obstacles due to the different names used for the textiles and the insufficiency of the surviving archaeological evidence. In my study, I intend to describe lana marina, that is, sea silk, one of the materials considered very rare and expensive in antiquity. My goal is to summarise its characteristics, the method of making sea silk, its history, and the problems surrounding its name, and also to describe its Hungarian aspects, as well as the Sea silk project, founded in 1998 with the intent of searching and preserving knowledge about sea silk and its production.