I am thankful to be among those who received some new clothes for Christmas. Although I got no socks or underwear, I was fortunate to add some new shirts and pants to my wardrobe. After washing and ironing, they will be ready for wear this weekend.
One of the things we now take for granted is colorfastness. Because of modern dying methods, we no longer worry much about our clothing losing its colors in the washing machine or inadvertently dying whatever was washed with it. Although an occasional piece slips in from time to time, that is now the exception rather than the rule, thanks to advanced textile processes.
But imagine a piece of fabric holding its color for over 3,000 years. Archaeologists in southern Israel recently discovered wool fibers from around 1000BC that still had a purplish tint. The wool had been dyed with a substance from Mediterranean sea snails.
The method used to produce this highly prized color was very secretive which enabled purple colored clothing to command the highest prices which could only be afforded by royalty and the very wealthy. Due to its dating and its location near the copper mines of ancient Timna, it’s very possible this cloth was manufactured and imported during the reign of King David or his son, Solomon. It’s an incredible discovery and the fact that these fibers still bear their color after 3,000 years is a testament to the ingenuity, intelligence, and skill of the ancient textile workers.
The amazing ability of this wool to hol.