hsifeng | Jun. 3rd, 2011

Afternoon All!
As you may remember, a week or so ago I posted this entry enquiring about potential information on using gold/netted cauls as possible caps under armor helms/helmets. The general consensus seems to have landed on, “Uh…not likely…”.
More information is always appreciated, and Gwen Norwick (of Historic Enterprises) and I have continued to discuss this via e-mail in the meantime. Gwen brought up the following information and I am bringing it back in here – with her permission – to share with ya’ll.

Enjoy. Digest. Tell me if it sparks any more thoughts on this subject:

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I agree, a netted caul doesn't seem like the ideal way to keep your hair neat.

Have a look at one of the images he [EDIT: Meaning the original inquirer about these items ~hsifeng] referenced-

Now to me, that looks exactly like sprang, not netting. I don’t see any knots, and the openings are eye-shaped, not square.

I’d reckon this one is netted, because the openings are square. Much different than the guy above.

Sprang is, by its very nature very elastic, and has been used for hair nets and bonnets since the Bronze age. If I’m going to buy the hairnet under helmet theory, I’d be much more inclined to believe they are made with sprang.

http://www.denblauwenswaen.nl/public/sites/english/techniques/sprang/sprang.htm

The other clue that leads me to thing this particular hairnet is sprang is the cord which is wrapped around the base, holding it to the head. The cord is necessary in sprang because it holds the edge and keeps the piece from unraveling. Check this out-

http://www.denblauwenswaen.nl/public/sites/english/techniques/sprangprojecten/hairnet.htm

You see this cord in almost all of the images-

Due to the elastic nature of the weave, it would also give you that form fitted look you see on so many of the images:

Once you know the technique, sprang is butt-easy to do, and works up quickly. Of course over time lacy and extremely complex designs were developed, and they probably take some time, but sprang is infinitely faster than netting.

Then poking around on the web, look what I stumbled across-

Description of the hair style and hair net worn by the occupant of a Bronze Age (c. 1300 BC) grave in Skrydstrup, Southern Jutland aka GERMANY. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

Anyway, based on this miniscule amount of information, I’m of the opinion that a sprang hairnet could have been used to contain the hair under a helmet, and that more complex and delicate nets were used in the cauls. I’m also leaning toward the idea that hairnets evolved into cauls for civilian wear, and eventually into the caul-shaped hats, like this-

Gwen

EDIT: 6/3/11 (from Gwen who wanted to give more info on the history of sprang for perspectives sake)

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Addendum-

From Wikipedia-

Although examples of sprang have been unearthed from as early as the bronze age, sprang was almost entirely undocumented in written records until the late nineteenth century when archaeological finds generated interest in Europe. Museum examples of sprang had been misidentified as knitting or lace until discoveries of ancient examples prompted reexamination of newer pieces. Subsequently, sprang has been identified in a variety of cultures and traditions across several continents. Its practice as a folk art waned during the twentieth century and sprang traditions have disappeared in most locales. Knitting has largely supplanted sprang.

Fabric impressions from potsherds of northern Germany suggest that sprang originated in Europe during the neolithic period. It may have spread southward toward the Mediterranean during the iron age or possibly the late bronze age. The earliest surviving example of sprang is a hair net, c. 1400 B.C., that was recovered from a bog in Denmark. Most archaeological finds of sprang fabric come from the later classical era and early Dark Ages: locations include Norway (third to fifth centuries A.D.), Switzerland, Egypt (possibly twenty-second dynasty, also early Coptic), and various Roman sites. Use of sprang has also been conjectured from archaeological recoveries of ancient looms and from depictions in period artwork.

Sprang is also an indigenous needlework technique among the peoples of South America, with the earliest known examples dating from before 900 A.D. among the Paracas culture and Nazca culture in present-day Peru. Sprang has also been noted in the Middle East, Central Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and North America. Indigenous North American sprang includes woolen scarves by the Ho-Chunk of Wisconsin, and Hopi wedding sashes. The natural elasticity of sprang makes it suitable for stockings, hair nets, sleeves, bags, scarves, and other purposes where pliant material is required. Most sprang needlework is utilitarian and hence was overlooked by scholars until late in its history, according to needlework historian Catherine Amoroso Leslie. In fact, it was not until the nineteenth century and the discovery of sprang at archaeological sites that it was recognized as a separate and distinct form of needlework. Many museum objects that were wrongly classified as knitting or lace have now been correctly identified as sprang.
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In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus is forced to leave his wife Penelope to go fight in the Trojan war.

When the war was over and there was no sign of Odysseus, many suitors came to seek Penelope's hand in marriage.

As time went on and the chance that Odysseus would return became smaller, the suitors got more and more badly behaved.

In order to avoid choosing a husband, Penelope came up with a plan. She announced that she was weaving a shroud for Laertes, her father-in-law. She said that, once she had finished, she would choose from among the many suitors.

Penelope wove during the day, and unloosened the weaving at night, therefore buying time. An interesting theory is that Penelope was weaving sprang, which is very easy to undo.

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I agree there is a huge gap between 1300BC and 1550AD. In general, there are loads of extant textile remains for Bronze Age thru Dark Ages, then a significant tapering off during the Medieval period, then an increasing number of finds and whole garments after 1500. Textiles of -any- kind are poorly represented in the medieval period, so it's no surprise that few examples remain.

Gwen