Israeli archaeologists working in the Judean Desert have found the oldest evidence of the biblical red paint, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Thursday.
This rare fabric, 3,800 years old and less than two centimeters in size, was found during excavations in the “Cave of Skulls” northeast of Jerusalem, aimed at preserving heritage finds and preventing the theft of antiquities. The woolen warp threads were dyed red, while the linen warp threads were not dyed.
Carbon-14 analysis showed that the textile dated to the Middle Bronze Age (1767–1954 BC).
According to a new joint study by the Israel Archaeological Authority, Bar-Ilan University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the cloth’s red color originated from oak scale insects, which the researchers identify with the biblical red worm tola’at hashani.
Mentioned in the Bible along with the royal blue techhelet and the purple argaman, red was considered one of the most precious and expensive colors of the ancient world, used – according to Biblical command – to dye the tabernacle and priestly robes.
Using advanced analytical methods, including high-performance liquid chromatography, to identify the origin of the color, the researchers concluded that the red color came from the Kermes vermilion species, which is known to produce kermesic acid, which provides the distinctive red color.
These findings were published recently in the peer-reviewed Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports .
“In ancient times, the color was produced from the female scale insect that lives on the Kermes oak tree (Quercus coccifera),” explained Dr. Naama Sukenik, curator of the organic materials collection at the Israel Antiquities Authority.
“The collection of these kermes was carried out during a very short period of time – one month a year, in the summer, after the females have laid eggs but before the eggs have hatched – when the dye content is highest. The short period of time for collecting the kermes, their small size, between 3-8 mm, and the difficulty in finding them due to their camouflage colors – makes them difficult to find,” Sukenik said.
He reported that the amount of color produced from the eggs was limited, but “the beautiful red color produced from them for dyeing fabrics made their use highly prestigious.”
The discovery also underscores the interconnectedness of ancient societies. Despite the presence of a native species of scale insect capable of producing a red-orange dye in Israel, the researchers found that the fabric’s color came from a species more commonly found in the central and eastern Mediterranean region, indicating extensive trade networks, the researchers said.
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