Jul 14, 2023

Insights into the ongoing Flax Year at the Israeli Forum for Experimental Archaeology

The Forum for Experimental Archeology in Israel is taking part in the flax growing project "A Year On The Field" for the first time this year. Evidence for linen indicates that it was used in the Land of Israel throughout history. The earliest archaeological findings in the Land of Israel date to the pre-pottery Neolithic period, i.e., 10,000 BP. Our group is engaged in various aspects of research on flax, but for the first time we are conducting the entire process from seed to thread and woven cloth. Beyond the experience itself, we are learning a lot about the stages entailed in this process and are grateful for the project's initiative.

On October 31, 2022, we sowed flax seed (50 grams) on a small plot (17 m x 1.5 m) in the Jerusalem Mountains area near Kibbutz Tzora. The plot was artificially watered part of the time and partially worked by school children. We manually harvested the stems on April 27, 2023, tied them together in piles and left them to dry until May 31, 2023. After drying, we removed the seeds, either using a ripple (coarse comb that peeled the seed from the stem) or by hand. Using the ripple device is highly effective and significantly shortens the process. On the same day we also cut the roots on the stems. On June 1, 2023, the stems were soaked in tubs of water for the retting process (the temperature ranges from 18 to 28 degrees Celsius. We then changed 10% of the water every three days in order to prevent algae growth. On June 18, 2023, we plan to take the stems out for further drying.