Textiles and clothing were and still are an important source of culture as well as an indicator of a robust economy and social status. Textile household goods and clothing are important heirlooms, providing valuable information about the standard of living, socio-political events, and cultural influences of the regions from which they originate. This paper presents the preliminary results of a research project dealing with the traditional natural dyes used in Greece for the decoration of garments from the 19th century onwards (from the 19th until the mid-20th century). The research aims to identify and record all the different plants and dyeing techniques used in Greece during this period and also to propose a non-destructive methodology for the study of dyed textiles in order to facilitate their preservation. In this paper, the focus is on the presentation of the classification and identification data of the plants used as the dyeing sources, according to recipes collected in various areas in Greece, as well as the description of their botanical characteristics. The research was based on the study of more than 2000 manuscripts and many interviews with older people who have used these materials. Thus, more than 140 plants have been documented, together with their recipes. The data produced include the phytological characteristics of the plants, as well as the parts of the plant used, the period collected and the areas they were used, together with images of the plants and various details regarding the recipes used in many places around Greece, along with the related documentation. The study also refers to ethics and traditions related to the dyes, the color, or the dyeing procedures used. Woolen samples were prepared based on the data collected in order to investigate how the differences recorded from place to place are reflected in the final result. Through this research, it was possible to identify and replicate some of the non-common recipes which use the Mediterranean strawflower, Helichrysum stoechas (L.) Moench, red algae, Rytiphloea tinctoria (Clemente) C.Agardh, and the common poppy Papaver rhoeas L as dyestuffs.

Women became victims of poverty due to the Industrial Revolution and the consequent upheavals in economic life worldwide. This research aims to highlight women's work in the museum through the processes of sericulture and silk making, both domestic and industrial. The main case study was the Silk Museum of PIOP, in Soufli, in northern Greece, as a predominantly silk-producing center. The silk industry, in which the female contribution was decisive, shaped the character and contributed significantly to the development of the small town from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century.1,2 In addition to the bibliography, the research was based on fieldwork at the Silk Museum and Soufli and interviews with female silk ex-workers and exhibition contributors. Field research was also conducted in museums with similar themes in Hungary and Greece, while materials from Sweden and France were studied to compare various exhibition practices to highlight the different aspects with which the work of women workers is presented in the contemporary museum as a conscious curatorial practice. The study concluded that the representation of women's labor in museums reflects broader social and cultural narratives, emphasizing their undervalued yet pivotal role in industrial and domestic sericulture and promoting a more inclusive understanding of industrial heritage.

In this paper, we address issues relative to the clothes used to dress the dead in Greek culture in modern times through to the present. This is done firstly by using descriptions from popular artistic prose, many of which provide significant detail. More specifically, we draw upon testimony from songs about death and the moirologia (laments or dirges), sung over the corpse, based on references in primary folkloric material in both printed and handwritten collections. We also draw from 100 ethnographic interviews conducted between 2005–12. We include all the types of clothes, differentiations in urban and rural areas, in social and economic class, and in gender and age. We also shed light upon the possible ritual uses of these clothes, as encountered in the death customs of the Greek people.

This paper focuses on the study of the famous royal purple dye. It aims to present a holistic approach by researching historical evidence, both for its use and its production, to highlight the importance of the dye within the Greek area. As a substantial part of information concerning the dyeing procedure of purple dye has been lost during the ages, it is crucial to establish points of documentation and identification. The latter can be achieved through chemical analysis, but as this dye is found on precious’s cultural heritage items, which cannot always be sampled, a non-destructive approach should be considered as more appropriate. At first, the history of the dye purple is presented within the Greek area. Then, samples of purple dye are created based on traditional recipes from the Greek area, in order to compose a profile with the characteristics of purple using non-destructive and imaging techniques, thus emphasizing the importance of applying these techniques for the study of dyes on textiles. The results of the experiments show differences in behavior between the pure gland and the dyed samples, as well as the intensity of the color depending on the dyeing procedure.