Although the number of textile traces and relics found in the tombs of aristocrats in the Western Zhou Dynasty is small, it still provides important reference for us to understand the textile technology in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Traces of linen were found in an early Western Zhou tomb in Gaojiapu, Jingyang, Shaanxi Province. The most rare thing is the discovery of a number of silk objects in the tomb of the mid western Zhou Dynasty in rujiazhuang, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, which provides us with very precious information about the silk weaving and embroidery in the Western Zhou Dynasty. In the tombs, a large number of silkworm shaped objects made of jade were found. These vivid jade silkworms show us the production of silkworms in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Traces of silk were also found in the tomb of the Western Zhou Dynasty in rujiazhuang, Baoji. Some of them are adhered to the bronzes, some are pressed on the silt. It can be seen that most of them are plain fabrics. And there is a silt on the textile imprint with a simple water chestnut pattern, should be twill jacquard fabric. This can only be made on a special jacquard loom. In addition, an embroidery mark was also found, which adopted the braided stitch method still in use today. The double line embroidery was used to produce curly grass leaf pattern and mountain pattern, and the stitches were very symmetrical.
In 2004, a total area of about 10 square meters was found on the West and North walls of M1 in Hengshui cemetery of Western Zhou Dynasty in Jiangxian County, Shanxi Province. The curtain is made of two pieces of red silk, with a leaf edge at the top and bottom. Each width is 80 cm, and the total height is about 180-220 cm. There are exquisite embroidery patterns on the fabric, and the motif is Phoenix. At least three groups of bird patterns of different sizes can be observed, which are groups of pattern combinations. In the middle of the pattern is the profile image of a big phoenix pattern. The lines of big beak, round eye, wing and crown make a big turn with exaggeration, and the lines are smooth and majestic. Before and after the big phoenix, there are four small Phoenix, arranged up and down, basically similar to the big phoenix, but more subtle. This important discovery shows that the embroidery technology at that time was very mature.
