Resources
Academic research into historical and natural hide tanning is limited, but we’ve curated a small collection here and will continue to grow it.
Sometimes the science behind these articles is a little off. For example, it’s common to see the word “cure” in the literature which does not signify anything. These misunderstandings likely arise because academics are not necessarily hide tanners nor chemists. So, take what makes sense to you and leave the rest. If you’re unfamiliar with the fundamentals of hide tanning, look to the descriptions of natural hide tanning on our Methods Page.
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Fish and Chaps: Some Ethnoarchaeological:
Thoughts on Fish Skin Use in European Prehistory Essay from Open Archeology in 2020 -
On Tanning Leather.-- Preparation of Hides.
Article from Scientific American in 1850
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Products of animal skin from Antiquity to the Medieval Period
Manuscript compiled in 2016 by German academics focusing on European Medieval period
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Rural tanning techniques
A research project undertaken in 1960 by the UN Department of Food and and Agriculture -
Skin processing technology in Eurasian Reindeer cultures
A PHD thesis from Oslo University in 2007
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Vegetable Tanning Agent
An overview of the chemistry behind bark tanning, not written for hide tanning but applicable!
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Women’s Work: Skin Processing in Northern Hunter
Gatherer Settlements and the Archaeological Context
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Archaeological Invisibility and Forgotten Knowledge
This comprises Chapter 15 of the academic publication Archeological Invisibility and Forgotten Knowledge, from a Polish university in 2007