Sprang

Sprang is an alternate form of textile production, also found at Karanis. It is produced by means of intertwining or interlocking warp threads with no weft, building up the fabric from the top and bottom simultaneously in mirror image of each other, then fastened in the middle to prevent unwinding. Sprang is springy and stretchy, and was mostly used for bags and caps.

The bright colors of sprang fragments may be due to their use - in Karanis, women would have kept their hair covered with caps such as these. They would be an cost-effect way to spruce up an outfit, and, experiencing little wear, would have lasted for a long time.

Sprang caps are also frequently found in burials, covering the eyes and mouth of the dead in a presumably symbolic and not typical position.