Ἱστὸν ἐποιχομένη, καθεζομένη ὑφάναι: On the Origins and Development of the Byzantine Loom

In Histories (2.35.8–10), Herodotus remarks that the Egyptians weave pushing the weft downwards, contrary to the Greeks. This passing observation has long served as evidence that while classical Greek weavers employed the warp-weighted loom, which requires the upward beating in of the weft, the Egyptians had, by the 5th century BCE, transitioned from their traditional horizontal floor-loom to the vertical two-beam loom. Homer’s scholiasts inform us that this Egyptian vertical loom was soon adopted in Greece. Centuries later, Theophylact of Ohrid comments on the unfamiliar practices of Palestinian weavers, who weave upwards, whereas the Greeks habitually weave downwards. This cements the notion that by the 12th century the vertical two-beam loom had become the staple loom in Medieval Greece, entirely replacing the warp-weighted loom. These textual descriptions offer a rare glimpse into the technological evolution of looms, yet philological analysis of written evidence remains scarce compared to the extensive archaeological and art historical scholarship on the subject. This paper presents a diachronic analysis of weaving implements based on a selection of key Greek texts, tracing the transition from the warp-weighted to the two-beam loom, exploring its causes, and examining the origins and transmission of this new technology.
Particular attention will also be paid to technical terminology, especially the terms μέσακμον and καῖρος, commonly identified with the shed stick (Barber 1991), although the contexts in which they appear suggest they may have referred to other components of the loom. The term ἐπίμιτρον, found only in papyri, has likewise been associated with the shuttle, but likely refers instead to the shed stick (Kaimio et al. 1979). By reassessing these terms and contextualizing them within a broader overview of loom development, this study seeks to clarify the structure and function of the medieval loom and to refine our understanding of Byzantine weaving practices.