International audiencePlanned excavation conducted between 2013 and 2016 in the harbor and commercial district of Saint-Lupien in Rezé (Loire-Atlantique) allowed the discovery of textile remains with specific characteristics. Their survey encouraged the comparison with other French discoveries from similar context or linked with wrecks, and enlighten unnoticed similarities. The Rezé’s harbor set revealed for the first time a piece of sail, which questions previous interpretations on the origin of the reused textiles found in inland water shipping. A corpus of fabrics discovered in harbors or used as waterproofing material has been gathered, some of them recently conserved with various innovative protocols allowing to better making use of th...