Bible Fabric.

Archaeologists unearth 3,800-year-old ‘scarlet worm’ fabric mentioned in the Bible.

The precious fabric was discovered in Israel's 'Cave of Skulls'.

By Max Parry, News Reporter

04:00, Tue, Oct 22, 2024.

Archaeologists in the Cave of Skulls in the Judean Desert (Image: Dafna Gazit, Israel Antiquities Authority)

Archaeologists have discovered a precious piece of crimson fabric in the Judean desert that is 3,800 years old and may have been coloured using a substance referenced in the Bible.

The tiny textile was found in the Israeli 'Cave of Skulls' and is believed to have been dyed using oak scale insects - a substance thought to be the "scarlet worm", as referenced in the Bible.

The find gives astonishing insights into ancient textile production and its links to the Biblical texts.

Naama Sukenik, curator of the Organic Material Collection at the Israel Antiquities Authority, explained the process for colouring the two-centimetre piece of fabric.

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A scientist tests the fabric (Image: Dafna Gazit, Israel Antiquities Authority)

She said: "In ancient times, the dye was produced from female scale insects, which live on kermes oak trees.

"Collecting these insects was a highly specialised process, done in a short window of time — one month each summer — when the amount of dye was at its peak."

This ancient process, using rare dye-producing insects, made crimson a prestigious and valuable colour.

Express.