Lessons on textile history and fibre durability from a 4,000-year-old Egyptian flax yarn

Flax has a long and fascinating history. This plant was domesticated around 8,000 BCE1 in the Fertile Crescent area(2), first for its seeds and then for its fibres(1,3). Although its uses existed long before domestication, residues of flax yarn dated 30,000 years ago have been found in the Caucasus area(4). However, Ancient Egypt laid the foundations for the cultivation of flax as a textile fibre crop(5). Today flax fibres are used in high-value textiles and in natural actuators(6) or reinforcements in composite materials(7). Flax is therefore a bridge between ages and civilizations. For several decades, the development of non- or micro-destructive analysis techniques has led to numerous works on the conservation of ancient textiles. Non-destructive methods, such as optical microscopy(8) or vibrational techniques(9,10), have been largely used to investigate archaeological textiles, principally to evaluate their degradation mechanisms and state of conservation. Vibrational spectroscopy studies can now benefit from synchrotron radiation(11) and X-ray diffraction measurement in the archaeometric study of historical textiles(12,13). Conservation of mechanical performance and the ultrastructural differences between ancient and modern flax varieties have not been examined thus far. Here we examine the morphological, ultrastructural and mechanical characteristics of a yarn from an Egyptian mortuary linen dating from the early Middle Kingdom (Eleventh Dynasty, ca. 2033-1963 BCE) and compare them with a modern flax yarn to assess the quality and durability of ancient flax fibres and relate these to their processing methods. Advanced microscopy techniques, such as nano-tomography, multiphoton excitation microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used. Our findings reveal the cultural know-how of this ancient civilization in producing high-fineness fibres, as well as the exceptional durability of flax, which is sometimes questioned, demonstrating their potential as reinforcements in high-technology composites.