Edom's purple

In 2013, Israeli archaeologists begin excavations at the Timna site linked to the smelting of copper. Among other finds, some scraps of fabric colored with purple are found. The discovery of fabrics is very rare, since being made with natural fibers, they are subject to rapid decomposition once abandoned. In this case, the dry and dry climate of Timna allowed their conservation, the only case in the pre-Roman world.

 

Among the remnants found at the site, three were chosen: a fragment of torn wool fiber, a decorative string or fringe, a fabric with a texture formed by colored and rough threads, perhaps part of a textile decoration. The peculiarity of these three remnants is the fact that they have been colored with purple.

 

In the ancient world, the purple dye was the symbol of royalty and wealth since, due to the difficult production technique and the scarcity of dye contained in each shellfish, it was difficult to produce and therefore very expensive. For this there were also dyes obtained with other ingredients that mimicked the color, from red to purple, of true purple. In the case of Timna, the archaeologists were able to identify the dye as true purple and therefore from the Phoenician coast of the Mediterranean (the results were published in the study "Early evidence of royal purple dyed textile from Timna Valley (Israel)" , in the scientific journal "Plos one").

 

The site of Timna has been dated, through archaeological and chemical-physical evidence, to the period from the 11th to the 10th century. B.C. In this period, following the collapse of Egyptian power over the region, there was thought of a fragmentation of local power into tribes and the consequent collapse of long-range trade. The excavations of Timna, and the discovery of purple-colored fabrics from the coasts of the Mediterranean, however, proved that the local elites were organized around a strong central power and were able to procure luxury goods from far away, such as food. exotic and fine fabrics.