Fringed Textile Fragment

Fringed Textile Fragment
Linen
Object W. 15.5 cm; L. (Fringe) 13 cm
Cave of the Sandal, Jordan Valley, 4500–3600 BCE
Israel Antiquities Authority: K33645
Photography by Clara Amit © Israel Antiquities Authority

The extreme aridity of the Jordan Valley, where the high cliffs with caves are located, has resulted in exquisite preservation of organic material from the Chalcolithic period, allowing all facets of weaving to be examined and reconstructed. This textile fragment from the Cave of the Sandal is decorated with fringes and double “hollow bands”. Missing threads suggest that color threads, now disintegrated, might have decorated this textile.