Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Dyed-Red Fabric That May Have Been Used in Biblical Tabernacle

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The Israel Antiquities Authority announced last week that archaeologists excavating in the Judean Desert have uncovered a tiny 3,800-year-old dyed-red textile of the type that was used in the Biblical tabernacle and the Israelites’ priestly garments, the Jewish News Syndicate reports.

Research on the piece of fabric was conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority together with Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The research was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science on Thursday, July 18.

In a statement, the IAA said the fragment of cloth is less than 2 cm long (0.8 inches) and was discovered during an excavation of the Judean Desert’s “Cave of Skulls” in 2016. Scientists revealed that the fabric dates back to 1767-1954 BCE and was colored red using a dye made from oak-scale insects that are believed to be the “scarlet worm” referenced in the Bible. “In the Bible, the dye extracted from oak scale insects is referred to as “scarlet worm,” Professor Zohar Amar of Bar-Ilan University explained in a statement.

“In ancient times, the dye was produced from the female scale insect, which lives on the kermes oak tree (Quercus coccifera),” Dr. Naʼama Sukenik, curator of the Organic Material Collection at the Israel Antiquities Authority added in a separate statement.

“The important find bridges the gap between written sources and the archaeological discoveries, providing evidence that the ancient textile dyeing industry was, already at this stage, sufficiently established for dyeing using animals,” Sukenik noted.”

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