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Abstract
An understanding of the composition of natural and synthetic dyes used in ancient textiles and rugs is important for conservation purposes and to determine the origin of a textile or rug. Colorants or dyes are traditionally analysed by means of separation methods and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopic techniques that require sampling. This contribution focuses on establishing a fast, non-invasive, and in situ measurement procedure based on ultraviolet–visible–near infrared reflectance spectroscopic techniques for the characterization of dyes in ancient textiles or rugs manufactured in the Mediterranean basin and Middle East. For this purpose a collection of specimens on wool supports was prepared following ancient dyeing recipes. The samples were subsequently measured in the 230–2500 and 350–1700 nm ranges to create a spectroscopic database that was then compared with spectra acquired from textiles and rugs in order to characterize the dyes present.