Experts Found An Ultra-Rare Bible-Era Fabric – And It’s More Precious Than Gold

Shouts of excitement reverberate through a busy archaeological site – something strange has been spotted peeping out of the ground. Is it some fabulous gem? Or an opulent piece of ancient jewelry crafted from precious metals? Well actually, no. Instead it’s a vivid piece of purple fabric which has caused such animation at Timna, a corner of Israel that was once the site of a mineral mine. But while the tuft of half-buried textile might admittedly seem a little shabby to the untrained eye it is, in fact, even more valuable than gold...

Timna was mined for a range of minerals back in its day. But according to UNESCO – that’s the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, of course – the area is particularly rich in copper ore, a fact that was apparently clear to the ancient inhabitants of the region. Having said that, it wasn’t copper that caused such a buzz for the archaeologists working at the site.

Simply put, the team had found some frayed woollen threads clumped together into a sort of unshapely ball. It didn’t look altogether spectacular, and perhaps the archaeologists would’ve missed it if it hadn’t been so brightly colored. The purple hue undoubtedly made it stand out more than it otherwise would have.

But aside from making the fabric more eye-catching, this purple color was extremely important for another reason. In fact, it’s precisely the hue that makes this discovery so tremendously valuable. But to really understand why, we need to gain some context with the help of both the Old and New Testaments.

Theologians will tell you that the color purple is more than just a much-acclaimed Spielberg movie. Yes, this particular tint occupies a special place within these texts. More to the point, it’s been proposed that the shade was of particular sociological importance back when these scriptures were written. Hard evidence on such a theory, though, has generally been lacking. That is, until this incredible fabric was uncovered at Timna.