Dyed or not Dyed: That is the Question! Investigation of Coloured Bronze Age Textiles from Europe

Regina Hofmann-de Keijzer, University of Applied Arts Vienna Regina.Hofmann@uni-ak.ac.at Maarten R. van Bommel, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands m.van.bommel@cultureelerfgoed.nl Ineke Joosten,Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands i.joosten@cultureelerfgoed.nl Anna Hartl, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Institute of Organic Farming anna.hartl@boku.ac.at Art Ness Proano Gaibor, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands a.ness.proano.gaibor@cultureelerfgoed.nl Andreas Heiss, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Institute of Botany andreas.heiss@boku.ac.at Modern chromatographic and microscopic techniques allow an insight in the beginning of textile dyeing in Europe. The presentation will focus on the investigations of coloured Bronze Age textiles from Hallstatt, Mitterberg and Radfeld (Austria) and Pustopolje (Bosnia-Hercegovina), which were performed during the CinBA project. The results will be compared with those of the Hallstatt textiles from the Early Iron Age. In co-operation with the Prehistoric Department of the Natural History Museum Vienna, dye analyses of the Hallstatt textiles has taken place since 2002, especially during the research project "Dyeing techniques of the prehistoric textiles from the salt mine of Hallstatt – analysis, experiments and inspiration for contemporary application" (2008 – 2012) which was supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF [L 431-G02]. High performance liquid chromatography with photo diode array detection (HPLC-PDA) was used for dye analysis. Additionally, the fibres of the textile fragments were examined by optical light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The microscopic techniques were carried out to observe special dyeing techniques and for evaluating the condition of the textile fragments. By SEM-EDS those elements were analysed which could have influenced the colours. The possibilities and limitations in identifying the dyes and the dyeing material will be discussed. What are the limiting factors scientists are confronted with? The identification of dyes is sometimes hampered by analytical issues. Compared to historical textiles much fewer prehistoric ones have been analysed. While in later periods cultivated dye plants were preferably used, in Prehistory the emphasis lay on wild plants. The fingerprints or markers of these plants are not known. If no dyes or no coloured components are detected, it cannot be concluded that the textile was not dyed as the dyes could be below the detection limit due to degradation. In many archaeological textile fragments only unknown coloured components are detected. It will be discussed why in that case one cannot draw the conclusion whether a fabric was "dyed" or "not dyed". It is likely that in the Bronze Age the experimental phase of textile dyeing started simultaneously with the introduction of wool. Many plants were tested to see if they were suitable for textile dyeing which led to the use and cultivation of specific dye plants in a later phase.