Hidden in Tel Shikmona's Floors: Research Expands the Story of Haifa's Purple‑Dye Factory

Workspaces at Tel Shikmona near Haifa served more purposes than producing the purple dye associated with the site. University of Haifa researchers found evidence in the same areas of olive pressing, livestock keeping and textile‑related activity. The central conclusion is that the rooms' uses changed over time, not that all activities occurred there together.

The University of Haifa presented the findings on 5 October 2026, following a paper published in PLOS One on 24 September. Researchers propose that shifts between activities followed the seasons. Distinguish two levels of knowledge: multiple uses are supported by examined remains, while assigning them to seasons is an interpretive model requiring further tests.

A dye factory, but not only while dyeing

Tel Shikmona lies on Haifa's Carmel coast. The study concerns an Iron Age layer dated approximately 790 to 740 BCE and two workspaces excavated during the 2023 season. Researchers associate the activity with a production complex operating within the economy of the Kingdom of Israel.

Purple dye is the starting point, not a discovery originating in this study. Evidence of the dye industry, including stained pottery, had already been found. The new question was what happened in the same spaces beyond the conspicuous activity that left production vessels and dyes.

That question changes how an ancient building is read. A room containing an olive‑pressing installation may serve that purpose during the harvest, but the installation's presence does not tell us what happened during the rest of the year. Less visible uses require looking beyond museum‑worthy objects to small remains left in the floor.

When the ground itself becomes a document

The original study of Shikmona's workspaces examined sediment samples using complementary methods. Researchers prepared thin sections for microscopic examination, counted tiny remains and used infrared spectroscopy, a method helping identify material composition and signs of heating.

The combination matters because each method answers a different part of the question. Identifying a material does not necessarily explain how it arrived. The layer's structure, its relationship to layers above and below and signs of trampling add context. These help distinguish activity in place, material brought from elsewhere and modifications to the floor.

The paper also presents microscopic remains associated with plants, ash and animal dung. These are not minor details beside pottery. Sometimes they reveal uses that would leave no built installation or recognizably shaped object.

Olives and livestock left different traces

One workspace contained finds associated with olive processing alongside evidence of livestock keeping. Researchers identified dung remains and trampling in the sediments, while loom weights in the assemblage supported the possibility of textile‑related work. Together, these broadened interpretation beyond a single activity.

The other workspace contained evidence related to purple‑dye production alongside components of olive processing. Researchers considered the larger finds and microscopic sequence together rather than using one object to determine the room's role in each period.

Ash above dung deposits also received a possible interpretation. Researchers suggest that spreading ash may have helped maintain the area and reduce odors and pests before its use changed. This is a proposed explanation, not proof that the cleaning instructions of those working there can be reconstructed.

The common point is movement between uses. This is not necessarily a picture of livestock, a loom and an olive press operating simultaneously in one room. The paper proposes a sequence of activities during the complex's use, with some traces preserved in the ground.

Seasons are an explanation, not a date found in a layer

Researchers propose a cycle of olive pressing in late autumn, livestock brought inside in winter and textile work in spring. The proposal draws on the known timing of agricultural activities as well as the composition of sampled sediments.

The paper clarifies that the sediments do not directly identify a season. They cannot yield an exact work calendar or establish that every cycle repeated in the same order. Researchers note that future tests of shells and animal remains may permit more direct examination of the seasonal hypothesis.

Purple‑dye production's timing within the cycle also remains open. Researchers discuss the possibility that it fitted into complementary time windows, but do not establish one proven season for dye production at the site. This distinction does not weaken the finding of multiple uses; it defines precisely what remains unresolved.

What the study adds to local history

For Haifa residents, the study adds a picture of Shikmona as a workplace adapting to changing needs. The complex is described not only through its luxury product but also through handling raw materials, keeping animals and maintaining the premises. These activities are less impressive in a display but significant for understanding daily life.

Researchers interpret the combination as efficient management of resources and space. This is an economic interpretation based on findings, not a newly discovered administrative document containing government instructions. Nor does the study establish that every production site in the kingdom operated this way.

The broader contribution lies in the method: a familiar site label, such as purple‑dye factory, may explain part of the past while concealing other parts. At Shikmona, sediments underfoot reveal a space that did not remain fixed in one role. The seasonal sequence is still an open question; the broader story beyond a single industry now has a more detailed evidential basis.