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Women's Work

The First 20,000 Years
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Brief Description
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, New York Times Book Review), illuminating the... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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Women's Work

The 30th-anniversary edition of a historical account, called “brilliantly original” by Katha Pollitt (The Washington Post Book World), that reframed our understanding of women’s lives in early societies

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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, 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. She offers us captivating glimpses into the daily lives of women through the cloth they made and wore.

"A fascinating history and prehistory of the making of textiles, a craft, exclusive to women (including queens and goddesses), that preceded and made possible civilisation itself." - 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, New York Review of Books

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781324076025

Publisher: WW Norton & Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 August 2024

Country: United States

Imprint: WW Norton & Co

Illustration: 71 illustrations, 5 maps

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 211.0mm

Weight: 305g

Pages: 384

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About the Author

Elizabeth Wayland Barber has authored Prehistoric Textiles, The Mummies of Ürümchi, and The Dancing Goddesses, among other works. Professor emerita of archaeology and linguistics at Occidental College, she now lives in Utah.

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