TEL AVIV, ISRAEL—A team led by Tel Aviv University archaeologist Erez Ben-Yosef has discovered colorful Iron Age textiles at the site of the Timna copper mines in Israel's Negev Desert. Haaretz reports that the textiles, which include more than 100 fragments of both wool and linen, date to the tenth century B.C. and would likely have been worn by copper workers. It had been previously believed that workers at the mines, which were associated with the Kingdom of Edom, were relatively low-status or even slaves. But the the discovery of richly decorated fabrics suggests they belonged to the upper reaches of Edomite society. “If a person had the exceptional knowledge to ‘create copper,’ he was considered well-versed in an extremely sophisticated technology,” says Ben-Yosef. “He would have been considered magical or supernatural, and his social status would have reflected this.” To read in-depth about early textiles, go to “Dressing for the Ages.”
