Archaeologists in Belgium have uncovered traces of weld, madder, and woad—the three primary dye plants used in medieval textile production—during excavations in Brussels and Mechelen. While these plants were crucial to the dyeing industry, physical evidence of their use is rare.
“This is the first time we’ve found the three primary medieval dye plants together in Belgium,” says Lien Speleers, an archaeologist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
Weld (Reseda luteola), madder (Rubia tinctorum), and woad (Isatis tinctoria) were fundamental to medieval cloth production, producing yellow, red, and blue dyes respectively. “Weld produced yellow, madder red, and woad blue, but the techniques for obtaining these colors were very different,” explains Speleers. “These three plants formed the basis of the primary colors. They were often combined to create other shades like green, orange, purple, and even black.”
The new findings, published in a study by Speleers and colleagues from the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, urban.brussels, the Art & History Museum, the Hof van Busleyden Museum in Mechelen, and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, shed new light on medieval dyeing practices in Belgium.
Evidence from Medieval Riverbeds
The Parking 58 excavation site, featuring the stone quay wall. (c) urban.brussels
The discoveries were made in ancient river sediments excavated at two sites: Parking 58 in Brussels and Zakstraat in Mechelen. Both cities were major centers of textile production in the Middle Ages, with dyeing workshops often located along rivers that supplied the water necessary for dyeing.
In Brussels, the site is near the historic harbour along the Zenne River, while in Mechelen, the excavation took place along the Melaan, a watercourse historically linked to the dyeing industry. The remains, preserved in river sediments dating from the 10th to the 15th century, provide the first direct archaeological confirmation of medieval woad use in Belgium.
“Weld and madder had been found in Belgium before, but the discovery of woad is a first,” says Speleers. “In our neighbouring countries, remains had already been discovered, and we knew from historical sources that woad was used as a source of blue dye, but this is the first time we’ve found archaeological material to confirm it. It finally provides us with tangible evidence.”
The excavation in Brussels also suggests that dyeing activities began there no later than the mid-12th century, earlier than previously recorded in historical documents.
Dyeing and River Pollution in the Middle Ages
Madder roots (Rubia tinctorum). (c) Institute of Natural Sciences
Archaeologists believe that the remains are the byproducts of medieval dyers who worked along the riverbanks. “The remains are likely waste from dyers who worked along the river,” Speleers explains. “Rivers were essential for dyeing, not only for providing water but also as convenient locations to dispose of waste.”
At Parking 58, more than 70 samples yielded a large quantity of weld seeds and madder root fragments, along with occasional woad fruits. In Mechelen, river deposits showed a similar pattern, containing a mix of dye plant remains and other waste materials.
Archaeological evidence of medieval dyeing is exceptionally rare because the parts used in the process—mainly leaves and roots—decompose quickly. This is particularly true for woad, which required fermentation to extract indigotin, the blue pigment. However, researchers were able to identify woad fruits in their samples, which likely ended up in the waste unintentionally. “This is the first archaeological evidence of woad in Belgium,” notes Speleers. “That makes this discovery truly exceptional.”
By uncovering physical traces of medieval dye plants, archaeologists have provided new insights into the thriving textile industry of Brussels and Mechelen, reinforcing the role of these cities as key players in Europe’s medieval cloth trade.
Archaeobotanist Lien Speleers analyzing fragments of dye plants under a binocular microscope. (c) Institute of Natural Sciences
The article, “Colourful rivers: archaeobotanical remains of dye plants from urban fluvial deposits in the southern Low Countries (Belgium),” by Lien Speleers, Ina Vanden Berghe, Valérie Ghesquière, Frank Kinnaer, Marc Meganck, Sidonie Preiss, Stephan Van Bellingen, Julie Timmermans and Yannick Devos, is published in Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. Click here to access it.
Top Image: Archaeobotanist Lien Speleers presenting a dried woad plant alongside a textile sample dyed with woad (modern reproduction). (c) Institute of Natural Sciences
Archaeologists in Belgium have uncovered traces of weld, madder, and woad—the three primary dye plants used in medieval textile production—during excavations in Brussels and Mechelen. While these plants were crucial to the dyeing industry, physical evidence of their use is rare.
“This is the first time we’ve found the three primary medieval dye plants together in Belgium,” says Lien Speleers, an archaeologist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
Weld (Reseda luteola), madder (Rubia tinctorum), and woad (Isatis tinctoria) were fundamental to medieval cloth production, producing yellow, red, and blue dyes respectively. “Weld produced yellow, madder red, and woad blue, but the techniques for obtaining these colors were very different,” explains Speleers. “These three plants formed the basis of the primary colors. They were often combined to create other shades like green, orange, purple, and even black.”
The new findings, published in a study by Speleers and colleagues from the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, urban.brussels, the Art & History Museum, the Hof van Busleyden Museum in Mechelen, and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, shed new light on medieval dyeing practices in Belgium.
Evidence from Medieval Riverbeds
The discoveries were made in ancient river sediments excavated at two sites: Parking 58 in Brussels and Zakstraat in Mechelen. Both cities were major centers of textile production in the Middle Ages, with dyeing workshops often located along rivers that supplied the water necessary for dyeing.
In Brussels, the site is near the historic harbour along the Zenne River, while in Mechelen, the excavation took place along the Melaan, a watercourse historically linked to the dyeing industry. The remains, preserved in river sediments dating from the 10th to the 15th century, provide the first direct archaeological confirmation of medieval woad use in Belgium.
“Weld and madder had been found in Belgium before, but the discovery of woad is a first,” says Speleers. “In our neighbouring countries, remains had already been discovered, and we knew from historical sources that woad was used as a source of blue dye, but this is the first time we’ve found archaeological material to confirm it. It finally provides us with tangible evidence.”
The excavation in Brussels also suggests that dyeing activities began there no later than the mid-12th century, earlier than previously recorded in historical documents.
Dyeing and River Pollution in the Middle Ages
Archaeologists believe that the remains are the byproducts of medieval dyers who worked along the riverbanks. “The remains are likely waste from dyers who worked along the river,” Speleers explains. “Rivers were essential for dyeing, not only for providing water but also as convenient locations to dispose of waste.”
At Parking 58, more than 70 samples yielded a large quantity of weld seeds and madder root fragments, along with occasional woad fruits. In Mechelen, river deposits showed a similar pattern, containing a mix of dye plant remains and other waste materials.
Archaeological evidence of medieval dyeing is exceptionally rare because the parts used in the process—mainly leaves and roots—decompose quickly. This is particularly true for woad, which required fermentation to extract indigotin, the blue pigment. However, researchers were able to identify woad fruits in their samples, which likely ended up in the waste unintentionally. “This is the first archaeological evidence of woad in Belgium,” notes Speleers. “That makes this discovery truly exceptional.”
By uncovering physical traces of medieval dye plants, archaeologists have provided new insights into the thriving textile industry of Brussels and Mechelen, reinforcing the role of these cities as key players in Europe’s medieval cloth trade.
The article, “Colourful rivers: archaeobotanical remains of dye plants from urban fluvial deposits in the southern Low Countries (Belgium),” by Lien Speleers, Ina Vanden Berghe, Valérie Ghesquière, Frank Kinnaer, Marc Meganck, Sidonie Preiss, Stephan Van Bellingen, Julie Timmermans and Yannick Devos, is published in Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. Click here to access it.
Top Image: Archaeobotanist Lien Speleers presenting a dried woad plant alongside a textile sample dyed with woad (modern reproduction). (c) Institute of Natural Sciences
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