Archaeologists have discovered a rare object that is referenced throughout the Old Testament of the Bible.
Specifically, they discovered in a cave in Israel a 3,800-year-old fabric dyed by the red worm, a dye that is mentioned 25 times in the Bible.
The red dye comes from the corpses or eggs of insects, which were crushed to create dye for clothes. The fabric found consists of woolen threads dyed red, which have been interwoven with white, linen threads, creating a latticework.
Dye production by the red worm
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the findings on July 18, following the discovery of the cloth, less than two centimeters long, which was hidden in the “Cave of Skulls” in the Judean Desert.
The female insects and their eggs produce carminic acid, which gives the dye its red color.
The insects were collected, then sprinkled with vinegar, their carcasses were dried, and finally, their remains were crushed, producing a powder for coloring fabrics and clothing.
The red hue ranges from orange to pink and red, a color with historical symbolism and significance, explains the team that published their findings in the journal Archaeological Science.
The red color of the antherococcus insect is based on the molecules of kermesic and carminic acid, beautiful and stable colors and therefore much more refined than colors based on plant sources.
References to the Old Testament
In Hebrew, the aliko color of the red worm is called shani or tola’ at shani (meaning red worm), and is mentioned throughout the Old Testament, either alone or together with other precious dyes, among which, blue and purple dye from sea snails.
In Leviticus (the third book of the Old Testament), it is stated:
«And to clean the house, he will take two birds, cedar wood, red thread and hyssop. One bird will slaughter it in an earthen pot containing spring water.
Then he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet thread, and the other bird, the living one, and dip them in the blood of the slain bird and in the water of the spring, and sprinkle the house seven times.
So the house will be cleansed with the blood of the bird, with the water of the spring, with the live bird, with the cedar wood, with the hyssop and with the scarlet thread.
Finally, he will let the live bird fly out of the city, into the fields; so he will perform the rite of atonement for the house and it will be clean.”
Also, the deep, red color is mentioned several times in the book of Exodus, as indicatively in chapter 26:1:
«The craftsmen will make a curtain of durable linen, woven with blue, purple and scarlet wool, and on it they will embroider cherubim. They will fasten it with gold nails on four pillars of acacia, overlaid with gold, which will rest on four silver sockets. They will hang the curtain from the hooks and behind it will be deposited the Ark of the Covenant”.
The use of the antherococcus insect also appears in ancient commercial documents, such as cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia, which date to 1,425 BC.
The team discovered ancient weaving in Israel, and found a plant material from the southern Levant, which was used to create woolen threads and wefts. The fabric is striped, with about 50 threads per centimeter in the woven and 10 threads per centimeter in the wrap, the study said.
The wefts are in a tight arrangement, while the threads that wrap it, are looser. The wrapping threads are bright red in color and interwoven with undyed linen threads.
Historical and sociological conclusions from the recognition of red worm dye
The researchers were able to identify the dyes, using a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method, in which compounds are dissolved in a liquid sample to identify the components of the mixture.
They then compared the findings to a database containing standards with known chemicals. The comparison revealed that insects secrete kermesic acid.
The fabric was dated to the Middle Bronze Age (1767-1954 BC), using the carbon-14 dating method.
Dr. Naama Sukenik of the Israel Antiquities Authority said: “This advanced analytical method allowed us to identify the origin of the paint down to the exact insect of its species.”
«With almost certainty, we can conclude that, in ancient times, the fabric was dyed by the insect Kermes vermilio, which produces kermesic acid, giving it its special red hue.”
Professor Zohar Amar from Bar-Ilan University explains: “In ancient times, the term ‘worm’ was a general definition for various insects and their developmental stages.”
The biblical reference to this color and to a living creature, proves an impressive knowledge of zoology, if we consider that the female antherococcus insect has no legs and wings, so that some Greek and Roman naturalists confused it with a plant grain.
A technique that is still used today
«Throughout history, various species of the antherococcus insect have been used to produce red dye.”
«To this day, in South Africa, another species of antherococcus insect that produces cochineal and lives on certain species of cacti is still used in the dyeing of cloth.’
Despite the wealth of written historical sources regarding the widespread use of antherococcus insect dye in the ancient world, to date, few textiles dyed with red worm have been found prior to the Roman period.
“The important find bridges the gap between written sources and archaeological discoveries, providing evidence that the ancient industry of dyeing textiles using insects was – already at this stage – quite developed.”
«The rare fabric is evidence of the extensive international trade networks already operating at that time, while testifying to the presence of an elite society.”
Source: www.enikos.gr
