iSOPALIN

The abundant quantities of flax found in good states of preservation in Egypt make this material a unique source of investigation for reconstructing the history of ancient Egyptian techniques and life. The iSOPALIN project proposes a multi-isotopic study of flax fibres found in archaeological contexts in Egypt, aiming 1) to understand their states of degradation through the prism of light isotopes (2H, 13C and 18O), 2) to offer a study of the provenance of the fibres based on 87Sr/86Sr strontium isotopes and 3) to compile all the isotopic information obtained to document the growth environments associated with flax. The radiocarbon dating of these archaeological artefacts will make it possible to chronologically anchor the restitution of these growing environments. This work will be articulated between isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and CO2 laser spectroscopy, between France and Egypt, between fibre and sediment, and between modern linen samples, fragments from European museum collections and archaeological textiles found during recent excavations in Egypt. It will combine cutting-edge analytical developments (such as the development of CO2 laser spectroscopy, an interesting alternative to expensive and difficult-to-maintain IRMS, applied to the measurement of d13C in archaeological samples) and large-scale archaeological challenges, documenting linen as a material and providing a better understanding of its isotopic compositions, both in terms of stable isotopes (2H, 13C, 18O, 87Sr) and radioactive ones (14C). These last aspects will allow us to deepen our knowledge of the paleoclimates associated with the cultivation of flax in Egypt as well as the use of this material as a chronological marker to reconstruct the history of this exceptional civilisation.