The textiles here are two out of scores of pieces collected together with scrolls and other objects from the floor of Qumran Cave 1 in the spring of 1949. All of the pieces appear to have come from small cloths, definitely shaped and sewn. The yarn used in the cloth is all S spun; two-ply thread was sometimes used. The only form of colored decoration, although rare, is blue lines, usually two, of indigo-dyed linen threads. The majority of cloths are plain, some with a simple or more elaborate fringe and with or without an open space. The practice of leaving an open space at one or both ends of a cloth is an ancient tradition and here may have served as a sole ornament: in antiquity decorative bands were usually made with dyed wool because of the extreme difficulty of dying linen; however, this is non-existent here, probably as a result of the biblical prohibition of sh'atnez--the mixing of wool and linen. It seems probable that all of the cloths from Qumran are linked in one way or another with the scrolls. Some were certainly scroll wrappers. Others may have formed a packing for worn-out scrolls. Still other pieces--with corners twisted or tied round with linen cord--were probably protective covers, tied over the jar tops.
This particular piece of cloth has two corners twisted, and the third has a piece of string knotting it, indicating its probable use as a cover for a scroll jar.
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