DNA testing is normally used to solve modern crimes, but textile archaeologists are beginning to use it to unravel the mysteries of the past. It can tell us about the origin of fur and leather used in clothing constructed five thousand years ago, or it can track down where the sheep's wool or silk used in garments came from.
In this episode of Friends of Haptic & Hue, we are at a special winter school of textile archaeologists, held in Italy, finding out about the latest techniques and research being used to analyse and understand ancient fabrics.
For the first time in 75 years all the Bronze Age textile finds from across Britain are being reviewed and we also talk to a researcher who is looking at an unknown collection of one thousand pieces that has been described at the Rosetta Stone of lace.
