bylonian tissues of which the
Greek and Latin writers extolled the magnificence, but we may form some
idea, from the statues and the figures engraved on cylinders, of what
the weavers and embroiderers of this ancient time were capable. The loom
which they made use of differed but slightly from the horizontal loom
commonly employed in the Nile Valley, and everything tends to show that
their plain linen cloths were of the kind represented in the swathings
and fragments of clothing still to be found in the sepulchral chambers
of Memphis and Thebes. The manufacture of fleecy woollen garments so
much affected by men and women alike indicates a great dexterity. When
once the threads of the woof had been stretched, those of the warp
were attached to them by knots in as many parallel lines--at regular
intervals--as there were rows of fringe to be displayed on the surface
of the cloth, the loops thus formed being allowed to hang down in their
respective places: sometimes these loops were retained just as they
stood, sometimes they were cut and the ends frayed out so as to give the
appearance of a shaggy texture.

* Most modern writers understand by tapestry what the
ancients were accustomed to call needle embroidery or
painting on stuffs: I can find no indication on the most
ancient monuments of Chaldaean or Egypt of the manufacturing
of real tapestry.

[Illustration: 316.jpg Egyptian Manuscript]

Part of an Egyptian Manuscript found in the Swathing of a
Mummy

[Illustration: 316-text.jpg Egyptian Manuscript]

Most of these stuffs preserved their original white or creamy
colour--especially those woven at home by the women for the requirements
of their own toilet, and for the ordinary uses of the household. The
Chaldaeans, however, like many other Asiatic peoples, had a strong
preference for lively colours, and the outdoor garments and gala attire
of the rich were distinguished by a profusion of blue patterns on a red
ground, or red upon blue, arranged in stripes, zigzags, checks, and
dots or circles. There must, therefore, have been as much occupation
for dyers as there was for weavers; and it is possible that the two
operations were carried out by the same hands. We know nothing of the
bakers, butchers, carriers, masons, and other artisans who supplied the
necessities of the cities: they were doubtless able to make two ends
meet and nothing more, and if we should succeed some day in ob