King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
he made it of wood from Lebanon.
Its posts he made of silver,
its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
its interior inlaid with love.
Song of Songs 3:9-10
While examining the colored textiles from Timna Valley — an ancient copper production district in southern Israel — in a study that has lasted several years, the researchers were surprised to find remnants of woven fabric, a tassel and fibers of wool dyed with royal purple. ......the finds date from approximately 1000 B.C. corresponding to the Biblical monarchies of David and Solomon in Jerusalem. The dye, which is produced from species of mollusk found in the Mediterranean, over 300 km from Timna, is often mentioned in the Bible and appears in various Jewish and Christian contexts.
"For the first time, rare evidence has been found of fabric dyed with royal purple dating from the time of King David and King Solomon.
This is the first time that purple-dyed Iron Age textiles have been found in Israel, or indeed throughout the Southern Levant." SciTech
