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Pavlova N., Orfinskaya O., Kitova A. Red Thread through Life and Death: the Protective Function of the Red Color in Byzantine Egypt

Nina Pavlova
Center for Egyptological Studies of the RAS
Moscow, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0009-0009-1747-4628
E-mail: nina_vladykina@mail.ru

 

Olga Orfinskaya
Center for Egyptological Studies of the RAS
Moscow, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0001-5473-805X
E-mail: orfio@yandex.ru

 

Aleksandra Kitova
Center for Egyptological Studies of the RAS
Moscow, Russian Federation
ORCID:0000-0002-5051-1875
E-mail: aafanasieva@yandex.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. The red colour has always held a special place in many cultures, including Egypt. Textiles from the burials of the Byzantine period can tell a lot about people’s lives, including the perception of red colour. The article represents an attempt to answer the question: is there a connection between the gender/age of the buried and the presence of red colour in the textile found in the burial? Analyzing the textile material from the necropolis of Deir el-Banat obtained during archaeological expeditions of the Centre for Egyptological Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences the authors note that interior textiles with short red threads (i. e. marks) were used in everyday life and then in burials. The connection of gender/age with the use of red colour in general and red marks in particular, was observed in women’s and children’s clothing. The results of the analysis allow to agree with the statement that the marks on clothing had a protective function. They protected the most vulnerable groups of the population — children and women. It is possible that the red colour of women’s caps also marked childbearing age along with the protective function.

 

KEYWORDS: Egypt, Middle ages, red colour, textiles, clothes, fabrics, burials

 

FOR CITATION: Pavlova N., Orfinskaya O., Kitova A. Red thread through life and death: the protective function of the red colour in Byzantine Egypt. Kunstkamera. 2025. 1 (27): 194–211. (In Russian). DOI: 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-1(27)-194-211

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-1(27)-194-211
UDC 391.984

 

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