Posted by Pat Weiler on December 06, 1998 at 12:24:46:
In Reply to: Great Subject: Tulu posted by James Allen on December 06, 1998 at 07:27:41:
: Vico said history is ricorso and the appearance of these "ancient" textiles in the 20th century supports this idea. These represent the ultimate in effacacy as the hide of the sheep is recapitulated without harming the animal,indeed it helps the animal. My understanding of their use was as the final layer of the bedding, a soft insulator for the body core. They are primitive in a visceral way and remind me of Peruvian textiles. I vote Steve is enriched as a collector for having acquired these. Jim Allen
Another reference is the comprehensive article on "Primitive" Pile Weavings of West and Central Asia in Hali 100, by John Wertime.
One take on the tenacious retention of some human ingenuity is that once a good idea is discovered, there is no reason to abandon it, even if there are superceding refinements, as long as it retains effectiveness.
Does this mean that Microsoft Windows will be studied by collectors in a few thousand years as the basis for their software collections? :-)
Even some traditions such as breaking the wishbone were around in a form before the Romans refined it as a good luck ritual derived from the stroking of the bones of "lucky chickens".