The Mystery Solved: What Really Happened Inside the Giant Factory in the North? | Watch

A new study published in PLOS ONE reveals that the purple dye factory at Tel Shikmona from the Iron Age was multi-purpose and changed its use seasonally. In the 8th century BCE, residents used the structures for olive harvesting in autumn, sheep grazing in winter, and textile work in spring, alongside producing the prestigious dye. Researchers identified a sophisticated disinfection method using ash spread over animal dung.

A new study published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE solves an archaeological mystery at Tel Shikmona: the largest purple dye factory in the eastern Mediterranean from the Iron Age was not only used for producing prestigious dye but was a multi-purpose complex whose purpose changed according to the seasons. In the 8th century BCE, during the reign of King Jeroboam II, residents used the structures for olive harvesting in autumn, for housing and sheep grazing in winter, and for textile work in spring. The transition between uses was made possible by a planned method of spreading layers of ash over animal dung, which served for disinfection, odor prevention, and pest control. The findings are based on advanced microscopic analysis of soil blocks and thin sections conducted by Dr. Isaac Ogloblin-Ramirez, who identified wood ash, olive pits, and animal dung invisible to the naked eye. Dr. Golan Shalvi, one of the excavation leaders, explains that archaeologists' natural tendency is to define a site by its most prominent use, but one must ask what was done in the structure during the rest of the year. Prof. David Friesem concludes that the combination of archaeological excavation findings with micro-archaeological laboratory findings opens a window to a new understanding of ancient activity, and that efficiency and maximum utilization of resources were the domain of ancient societies no less than ours.