Researchers have uncovered a unique relic mentioned throughout the Old Testament of the Bible.
In an Israeli cave.
The red dye was produced from the bodies and eggs of a certain insect, which would be ground into a powder to dye fabric.
The textile had threads made of wool that were dyed red, woven through threads of uncolored linen to create a lattice-like pattern.
The Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the findings on Thursday, after finding a less than two-centimeter piece of textile hidden in the ‘Cave of Skulls’ in the Judean Desert.
The insect referred to as the ‘scarlet worm’ in the Bible is a scale insect, found on oak trees, primarily the Kermes species of the ancient world.
The female insects and their eggs produce carminic acid, which gives the dye its characteristic red color.
People would collect the insects, scatter them with vinegar, dehydrate the bodies and then grind them into a powder used to dye fabrics and clothing.
The intense red color, which can range from orange to pink and crimson, has held profound historical significance and importance, according to the study that was recently published in the esteemed Journal of Archaeological Science.
‘The red color from scale insects based on molecules like kermesic acid or carminic acid is both stable and beautiful, making them far more prestigious than natural dye sources derived from plants.’
The crimson dye, also referred to as shani or tola’at shani in Hebrew, meaning scarlet worm, appears extensively throughout the Old Testament, either by itself or in combination with other high-end dyes such as blue and purple dyes obtained from marine snails.
According to Leviticus, chapter 14, verse 16 states: ‘As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet thread, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over flowing water.’
The deep red color is also mentioned in Exodus a few times, specifically in Chapter 26, Verse 1: ‘Construct the tabernacle using ten cloths of finely woven linen, dyed with blue, purple, and crimson hues, adorned with intricate cherub imprints crafted by a skilled artisan.’
The use of “Kermes” is also referenced in the Stockholm papyrus, which includes 154 recipes for dyeing, coloring gemstones, cleaning pearls and imitating gold and silver.
The manuscript is dated back to
This red dye from kermes is also referenced in ancient trade documents, including cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia dating back to around 1425 BC.
The team found the ancient textile in Israel and determined that the fabric was made of a plant-based material from the southern Levant region. The fibers that formed the weave were made from wool.
‘This textile has a weft-faced tabby weave, with approximately 50 threads per centimeter in the weft yarn system and 10 threads per centimeter in the warp yarn set,’ the study states.
The warp threads are placed closely together, while the weft threads are more spread out.
The weft yarns displayed a bright red color, which was woven between uncolored warp yarns.
Scientists used high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, a method that breaks down a liquid sample into its individual components to identify the dyes.
They then compared the findings to a database that houses reference materials, which contained established chemical compositions, and discovered that the insects had secreted kermesic acid.
The textile was dated to the Middle Bronze Age (1767-1750 BC) based on carbon-14 analysis.
Dr. Naama Sukenik from the IAA stated, “This advanced analytical method allowed us to pinpoint the dye’s origin down to the exact species of scale insect.”
‘Thus, we can infer with a high degree of certainty that, in ancient times, fabric was coloured using a type of insect known as Kermes vermilio, which yields kermesic acid, resulting in a distinctive red colouration.’
Professor Zohar Amar of Bar-Ilan University stated: “The term ‘worm’ in ancient times was a general term for various insects and their developmental stages.”
The unique association of this color with a living animal in the Bible showcases a remarkable display of zoological expertise, given the fact that female scale insects are a-legs and without wings, to the point that some ancient Greek and Roman naturalists actually confused them with plant particles.
Throughout history, various species of scale insects have been employed to produce a red dye.
In many parts of South America, a different species of cochineal scale insect is still used in the dyeing process of textiles today. These insects, which live on specific species of cacti, produce a vibrant dye that has long been used for coloring fabrics.
Despite a large body of written historical records illustrating the widespread use of scale insects for dyeing in ancient times, remarkably few textiles dyed with kermes insects that date back to periods before the Roman era have been discovered globally.
“The significant discovery fills the gap between written records and archaeological findings, offering proof that the ancient textile dyeing industry was substantially developed enough to be utilizing natural dye sources,” Dr. Sukenik said.
This rare textile serves as evidence of a widespread international trade network operating during that time and suggests the existence of a high-standing society.
