Textiles are by their very nature tactile sensory objects. They encompass the whole human sensorium: the five senses according to Aristotle – sight, sound, taste, smell and touch – but also other sensorial perceptions such as movement and emotion. Textiles create relationships between themselves and people, between individuals and between groups of people. While they interact with us as we wear or handle them, textiles also interact with their makers through their creation, from the processing of raw materials into fibres, to the handing over of the finished product to its owner. Archaeological textiles interact with professionals from excavation or discovery, through analysis and conservation to storage or display, while examples that are exhibited engage, from a distance, those who interact with the displays.

Within the discipline of archaeological textiles sensory theory is a recent phenomenon, with most developments being made by those specialising in the pre-historic and classical periods. While it can be suggested that sensorial methodologies are particularly useful for studying societies that left little or no written record, they also have the potential to help researchers unlock and define the ‘mindset’ of societies which left incomplete records, to ‘read’ and understand that which was not documented but was intrinsically understood by people at the time. As Susanna Harris has stated:

Using sensory archaeology to study early medieval textiles from across the North Atlantic therefore has the ability to unlock a deeper understanding of innate early medieval societies’ relationships with textiles: to answer the bigger questions about the development and structure of societies, their interactions with others and their journeys across this geographical area. As a result, it also has the potential to help develop interdisciplinary research questions that incorporate knowledge from makers, analysts and researchers, creating unique and potentially vibrant international working communities.