Oldest Known Blue-Dyed Fabric in Bronze Age Anatolia Identified at Ancient Settlement, Study Finds

Indigo was used to dye fabric in Anatolia during the Bronze Age, new research from the Beycesultan excavation in western Türkiye, modern-day Turkey, shows. Scientific analysis of a small blue cloth sample confirmed the plant-based dye and positioned the fragment as among the earliest documented examples of blue-dyed fabric in Anatolia and its surrounding region.

• The cloth was recovered from a Bronze Age layer at Beycesultan Höyük, an ancient settlement in western Türkiye excavated over multiple archaeological campaigns.
• Laboratory testing identified indigo as the colouring substance, providing direct chemical evidence of blue dye use in Anatolia during the Bronze Age period.
• The peer-reviewed study records the sample as the earliest confirmed blue-dyed fabric from Bronze Age Anatolia and its surrounding geographical periphery.

THE STUDY: The findings have been detailed in a peer-reviewed paper that examined two textile fragments recovered from Beycesultan Höyük in western Türkiye, including a small blue cloth sample from a Bronze Age layer at the settlement and a second fragment identified as a natural tabby weave. The research evaluates the fabric’s material structure and colour through laboratory testing, situating the results within the site’s excavation records and documented archaeological context.

• The study was conducted by Çiğdem Maner (Koç Üniversitesi), Ebru Torgan Güzel (Ege Üniversitesi), Gülşah Altuntaş (İstanbul Aydın Üniversitesi), and Hadi Özbal (TCF-DATU-Cultural Heritage Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory).
• The research combines excavation data with laboratory analysis of the cloth sample to determine both how the fabric was made and what substance was used to produce its blue colour.
• Microscopic examination was carried out to assess fibre structure and construction technique, alongside testing to identify the plant-based dye responsible for the blue colouring.
• The researchers compared the textile’s structural features with documented early looping methods in archaeological literature to interpret how the fabric was produced.
• The paper, titled Untwisting Beycesultan Höyük: the earliest evidence for nålbinding and indigo-dyed textiles in Anatolia, was published in the journal Antiquity in 2024.

THE EXCAVATION CONTEXT: The blue cloth was recovered as a burnt textile fragment during excavations at Beycesultan Höyük, a Middle and Late Bronze Age centre in western Türkiye. The textile sample was found within a clearly documented Bronze Age context, allowing researchers to place it within a defined chronological framework. Its survival offers rare physical evidence of dyed fabric from this early period in Anatolia.

• The sample was discovered in a stratified archaeological layer associated with Bronze Age occupation at Beycesultan Höyük, providing a secure context for dating and interpretation.
• The fabric fragment retained visible blue colouring at the time of excavation, which led researchers to conduct laboratory testing to identify the source of the dye.
• Detailed excavation records allowed the textile to be linked directly to a specific occupational phase within the Bronze Age sequence at the settlement.
• The recovery of the cloth contributes to the limited number of preserved organic textile remains documented from Bronze Age sites in Anatolia and its surrounding region.
• The concentration of spindle whorls, loom weights, weaving tools and associated artefacts in room 28 led researchers to interpret the space as a probable textile workshop.

SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS: Laboratory analysis using polarised optical microscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection was conducted to determine both the structure of the fabric and the substance responsible for its blue colour. The results confirmed that the dye used on the cloth belonged to the indigo dye group, most likely derived from woad or a related indigo-bearing plant. Structural examination also clarified that the indigo-dyed fragment was made from hemp and identified it as produced using the nålbinding, or single-needle knitting, technique described in the study.

• Microscopic examination of the fibres enabled researchers to assess the fabric’s structure and identify characteristics consistent with early looping methods.
• Chemical testing confirmed the presence of indigo in the blue fibres, providing direct evidence of plant-based dye use in Bronze Age Anatolia.
• The combined structural and dye analysis allowed the team to distinguish the textile from later dyed materials and securely assign it to its archaeological context.
• The analytical results were interpreted alongside excavation records to ensure that the laboratory findings aligned with the site’s documented stratigraphy.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Indigo has long been recognised as one of the most widely used natural dyes in the ancient world, with documented references across the eastern Mediterranean and Near East. The Beycesultan find places confirmed blue dye use within the Bronze Age sequence of Anatolia itself. By establishing secure material evidence from a dated archaeological layer, the study strengthens the regional timeline for early dyeing practices.

• Written records from ancient Mesopotamia refer to blue-dyed wool and garments, indicating that such materials were valued and circulated in early societies.
• Archaeological evidence from other regions has documented early dye use, but securely dated textile samples from Anatolia have been limited.
• The Beycesultan cloth provides physical confirmation of indigo-dyed fabric within the Bronze Age layers of western Türkiye.
• The discovery contributes to a clearer understanding of textile production and colour use in early Anatolian settlements.