Pieces of ancient textiles were recently found in Peru, and scientists consider them to be the oldest indigo-dyed fabric ever discovered.
A researcher from the George Washington University has determined that this cotton piece is around 6,200 years old and was probably used during temple rituals. The researcher has also revealed that the indigo dye used in this specimen most likely comes from the Indigofera suffruticosa plant, which is native to Peru.
According to archaeologist Jeffrey Splitstoser from George Washington University, who discovered this ancient piece of textile, the material shares similar features with modern day fabrics like denim, as blue jeans are also dyed in indigo. However, modern day dyes are synthetic.
The ancient indigo-dyed textiles were not exactly worn as clothes, as the textiles were cut into fragments, Splitstoser explained. But they are in an excellent state of preservation. They were most likely used as small "bags" for wrapping things.
Splitstoser believes that these frayed indigo fragments served a ritualistic purpose of wrapping offerings such as gourds. These ancient textiles were uncovered at a site in Huaca Prieta in 2009, which is a preceramic temple mound.
The textiles were likely used in rituals carried out on the site, as they were deposited in the ramp leading to the top part of the mound. The fabrics were cut, torn and ripped apart showing signs of being wet and wrung out.
Native Americans are the source of several significant technological achievements in the New World. Europeans learned the practices of weaving fine fibers, spinning and then dying from South Americans, Splitstoser explained.
This new study has been published in the journal, Science Advances.