Researchers found indigo-dyed textiles in Peru which appear to be at least 6,200 years old. The previous landmark for the earliest known use of the dye was Ancient Egypt, around 3,000 years ago.
The cloth scraps were found in Huaca Prieta. At first, the textile appeared to be colorless, but after close examination, researchers determined that it had a grayish tone that did not belong to the fabric itself.
The Incas were the precursors of the blue jean
Researchers made the analogy of how the color of blue jeans fade with time and use, looking paler and grayer. The cloth was the 6,200-year-old version of the same process. Incas occupied the Huaca Prieta region between 14,500 and 4,000 years ago.
Indigo is classified as the most valued and most commonly used dye in both antiquity and contemporary times. It was already known that cotton was cultivated in the Andes almost 8,000 years ago. The cloth, called “cumbi,” tailored by the Incas, greatly impressed Spanish Conquistadors due to its soft texture and bright colors.
Ancient South American civilizations had used dyes for thousands of years, as they appear to have developed weaving traditions since the beginning of their culture. Researchers believe that cotton was first sought in northern Peru, where it grows wild thanks to the dry and hot climate in the region. Incas widely used Cotton for producing bags, fish nets, string, and many other products that are inherent to the civilization’s anthropological remains.
Indigo dye is usually obtained from plants belonging to the Isatis, Polygonum, Indigofera, and Strobilanthes genera, all of which contain indigotin and indirubin. The plants from the genera mentioned above are very similar in their exterior features.
Researchers resorted to high-performance liquid chromatography to assess the use of indigo dye in the fabric samples found in Huaca Prieta, which appeared to be from 6,200 to 1,500 years old.
Weaving was a vital part of the South American ancient civilizations as it served as a method of recording historical events. Incas invented quipus, items where weavers would embroil manuscripts in tapestry with different knots and dyes to create accurate records of their practices, mostly accounting, and commerce. Quipus are also known as talking knots, and similar techniques were developed by the Chinese and ancient Hawaiian tribes.
Spanish Conquistadors found out that Incas recorded tribute payments and financial records with quipus. At the time, some quipus specialists would act as bookkeepers. But quipus were often dyed, which apparently represents information that does not have to do with numbers. So far, there has been no reliable way of deciphering quipus that feature dyed knots. Researchers have suggested using the name of the Inca’s primary deity “Pachacamac” to try and find a correlation between the information present in the quipus and the syllables of the god’s name.
The most popular and valuable dye in the world
Currently, the largest processor of indigo dye is India, as the “I. tinctoria” plant species was successfully domesticated in the country. The dye was widely used by Europeans which obtained dyes and spices out of trade routes set with Asia, thus being classified as a product of luxury.
China, Japan, India, and other Asian countries have used indigo dye for thousands of years. But the primary supplier of the dye to the civilized world was always India, which is why the dye is named “indigo,” as it comes from the Greek word “indikón” (Indian), adopted by the Romans as “indium,” then onto Italian and later to English.
The main trade routes between India and Easter Europe that led to the widespread known use of indigo dye were established by Vasco da Gama in the 15th century, allowing Asians and Europeans to trade foreign goods that could not be found on each other’s continent.
Indigo was so valuable at a time that Benjamin Franklin brought 35 barrels of indigo from France to help fund the Independence War efforts.
The production of synthetic indigo was achieved during the industrial era, although it remained impractical until 1897. Indigo is a dye that does not solve in water, which posed difficulties for dyers and printers to work with it. To use indigo, one would have to resort to toxic chemicals, which led to the death of many dye workers in the 19th century. The first attempts to solve indigo was to use stale urine, which was then replaced by zinc.
On the other hand, the most frequent use of indigo dye is by far to color denim jeans, resulting in the popular blue jeans. They were first invented in 1871 when the synthetic indigo dye was thriving. Over the following years, the material became popular due to its soft looks and resistant fabric.
But it appears that the material itself originated in Italy and France, as the word “denim” comes from “de Nimes,” meaning “from Nimes,” a city in France. The textile was used for work clothes because of their resistance against tear and wear. The fabric was dyed with indigo dye coming from India. In the 17th century, the jean was all over Italy as the state-of-the-art working-class textile. Nowadays jeans are a favorite choice of clothing where people of all ages and sizes wear it casually, and in some circumstances, as a luxury garment.