Textiles and dating: The Case of the Zagreb mummy wrappings

The Zagreb mummy is famous for having had among its wrappings fragments of the only extant Etruscan linen book, liber linteus. The mummy was bought in Alexandria in 1848, and since 1867 both the mummy and the book have been kept in the Archaeological Museum of Zagreb, Croatia. Based on the style of writing, several possible dates have been suggested for the linen book, but the radiocarbon dating carried out in the 1980s indicated the 3rd century BC. The large number of other textiles associated with the mummy have not been previously analysed. The variation in fabric structure and quality as well as several textiles made in spliced yarn – a technique which supposedly disappeared in Egypt by 600 BC – suggested a spread in dating. The AMS radiocarbon dating of six of these fabrics has produced a very wide chronological spread, ranging over one thousand years. The question arose whether this mixture was introduced in antiquity through recycling of textiles for mummification or in the 19th century by the dealer who sold the mummy – both possible scenarios. It also brought into question the date of the linen book. A new AMS radiocarbon dating of the liber linteus has also produced unexpected results, indicating that previously dated samples may not have come from the linen book. The paper presents the preliminary results of the new structural, fibre, dye and radiocarbon analyses of the Zagreb mummy wrappings, and discusses the importance of dating textiles using both technological parameters and radiocarbon.