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A 6000 years old indigo dyed fabric was discovered in Peru. It is believed to be the oldest fabric of this kind.
A 6200 years old fabric was discovered in Peru during an Excavation at Huaca Prieta, a sit located in the northern part of the country. The indigo nuance has been mentioned in writing too, the first time being 5,000 years ago, somewhere in the Middle East.
The new findings point that Andean people developed a sophisticated technology when it comes to textiles, similar to Egyptian cotton. The dyed fabrics that were discovered are small parts of woven cotton. They were discovered by archaeologists through excavation, back in 2007 and 2008.
“The cotton used in Huaca Prieta fabrics, Gossypium barbadense, is the same species grown today known as Egyptian cotton,”
said Jeffrey Splitstosser, a professor at George Washington University.
The discovery was published in ‘Science Advances,’ one of the top scientific journals and marks the first time Indigo was used as a dye, being a technically-challenging color to produce.
“Many people, however, remain mostly unaware of the important technological contributions made by Native Americans, perhaps because so many of these technologies were replaced by European systems during the conquest. However, the fine fibers and sophisticated dyeing, spinning and weaving practices developed by ancient South Americans were quickly co-opted by Europeans,”
Splitstoser explained.
The development of this color was a critical part in fabrics, textile and of course, fashion. Fashion industry uses many indigo-colored fabrics now, and they create a lot of pieces based on this color and fabric.
According to the research, Huaca Prieta is an ancient temple made of an early version on concrete. It contained sand, shells and ash. The remains of the indigo dyed fabric were discovered on the stairs of the temple and unfortunately they have lost their original nuance because they were under the building.
But after washing the fabric with special substances, the original blue color came back. The chemical tests showed that no plant fibers were traced on the fabric and the original substance used for dying was actually indigo. Five of the eight fabric samples contained the original indigo substance.
The researchers concluded that it was the oldest indigo known fabric to exist in the world. The research also shows how advanced the civilization of the Andes was, as they were able to create this kind of fabric and to use it.
What do you think about indigo color? Do you like it? Do you believe that the Andes were the first ones to use this color? Let us know!
Image Source Wikimedia
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