World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies

Barcelona, July 19th – 24th 2010

· NOT_DEFINED institution: Universidad Complutense de Madrid

· NOT_DEFINED organizer: Laura Rodríguez Peinado

· NOT_DEFINED language: English

· NOT_DEFINED description: In the first millennium of the Christian era is developed in Egypt an important textile production called Coptic textile art. In there textiles is display a too varied decorative repertory when the classical motifs coexist with the nilotic subjects, a themes with a stronger Egyptian identity, an incipient Christian iconography and themes from oriental origin. The oriental thematic is influenced from sassanian and byzantine silks and another oriental arts, ad as metals; but make with linen and wool and adapt to liking from the Nile Valley people, with a sincretic culture.The symmetrical compositions with the 'tree of life' and to both sides animals or plants. Animals and birds associated with hunting and riders. Lozenges, geometrics and floral motifs are itself a copy of a woven silks and are very popular for several generations throughout the byzantine and the arab period.