Garments from thousands of years ago have often been lost to the ravages of time, but one extraordinary dress has defied this fate. The “Tarkhan Dress,” named after the town in Egypt where it was unearthed in 1913, represents an exceptional piece of ancient clothing. This beautifully stitched linen dress has been precisely dated to over 5,000 years ago, making it the world’s oldest known woven garment.
Discovery of the Tarkhan Dress
The Tarkhan Dress was discovered as part of a large pile of dirty linen cloth excavated by Sir Flinders Petrie in 1913. This excavation took place at a site named Tarkhan, located about 30 miles south of Cairo. It wasn’t until 1977, while researchers from the Victoria and Albert Museum were preparing to clean this large linen pile, that they found the finely made Tarkhan Dress. Despite the dress’s age, it was in excellent condition, with creases at the elbows and armpits indicating it had been worn.
Initial Conservation and Display
Following its discovery, the researchers took great care to conserve the fabric. They sewed the dress onto Crepeline silk to stabilize it before displaying it. This V-neck linen shirt with pleated sleeves and bodice soon gained recognition as Egypt’s oldest garment and the oldest woven garment in the world, largely due to the age of the tomb in which it was found. However, the tomb had been plundered, which initially prevented researchers from providing a precise age for the dress.
Dating the Tarkhan Dress
In the 1980s, linen associated with the dress was analyzed using the then-new technology of accelerator mass spectrometry. This analysis suggested the dress dated to the late third millennium BC, but this estimate was considered too broad.
Finally, in 2015, a breakthrough occurred. A small sample weighing just 2.24mg from the dress itself was analyzed by the University of Oxford’s radiocarbon unit. The results were astonishing: the Tarkhan Dress dates back to between 3482 and 3103 B.C., potentially predating Egypt’s 1st Dynasty (ca. 3111–2906 B.C.).
Significance of the Tarkhan Dress
Textiles recovered from archaeological sites are generally no older than 2,000 years. Alice Stevenson, the curator of London’s Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, emphasized the significance of the Tarkhan Dress, which dates back more than 5,000 years. This makes it a unique and invaluable artifact, offering insights into the clothing and textile craftsmanship of ancient Egypt.
Conclusion
The Tarkhan Dress is not just a piece of ancient clothing; it is a testament to the sophistication and skill of early Egyptian textile artisans. Its survival for over 5,000 years is a remarkable feat, providing a tangible connection to a distant past. This dress stands as a symbol of the rich cultural heritage of ancient Egypt and continues to captivate historians and archaeologists alike.