A research team led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Maner from Koç University’s Department of Archaeology and History of Art, supported by Koç University’s Seed Fund, has uncovered remarkable textile fragments at Beycesultan Höyük that rewrite our understanding of Bronze Age craftsmanship in Anatolia. Published in the journal Antiquity, the study presents the earliest evidence of indigo-dyed textiles and a sophisticated single needle knitting technique previously unknown in the region.
The discovery came from two separate burnt textile fragments found during excavations between 2016 and 2018 at the ancient settlement at Beycesultan Höyük in Çivril northwest of Denizli. Soil humidity usually prevents the long-term preservation of fabric in the region, and earlier excavations of the site have uncovered Bronze Age structures that were substantially damaged by fire, leaving little trace of any organic materials. The newly found fragments create a rare window into textile production from nearly four millennia ago.
The first fragment, dating to approximately 1915–1745 BC, a period also known as the Middle Bronze Age, was found adhered to the ground. Advanced microscopic and chromatographic analyses revealed that it was made using a technique called nålbinding also known as single-needle knitting, where fabric is created by looping yarn with a single needle rather than weaving on a loom. This represents the first example of this technique ever found in Anatolia or the broader Near East. Even more remarkable, the hemp fabric was dyed with indigo from the woad plant, making it the oldest blue-dyed textile discovered in Bronze Age Anatolia.
The second fragment, from a slightly later period around 1700–1595 BC, probably dating to the Old Hittite Period, is a plain tabby weave, also made from hemp. Both textiles were discovered in spaces that appear to have functioned as textile workshops, surrounded by spindle whorls, loom weights, needles and other tools of the craft.
The significance extends beyond the technical achievement. Cuneiform texts from Bronze Age Mesopotamia and the Hittite Empire mention blue wool and garments as luxury items worn by royalty and elites, often exchanged as valuable gifts between rulers. Blue textiles appear in Egyptian tombs such as in Pharao Tuntankhamon’s tomb and on Minoan palace frescoes, always associated with elite status. The presence of such sophisticated textiles at Beycesultan suggest that the settlement was not just producing everyday textiles and garments but manufacturing luxury textiles and decorations for the elite.
Earlier excavations have revealed dozens of spindle whorls and loom weights of varying weights and sizes, indicating significant weaving activity and specialized production of different yarn thicknesses and fabric qualities. A disc-shaped stone weight found on top of the indigo textile, combined with nearby postholes likely from a loom, paints a vivid picture of Bronze Age craftspeople at work in a textile workshop, creating textiles that would likely have been precious commodities in their time.
This discovery at Beycesultan adds new evidence to our understanding of technological capabilities and innovations in Bronze Age Anatolia, revealing that ancient artisans possessed sophisticated knowledge of plant fibers, dyestuff chemistry, advanced textile techniques and the production of luxury garments.