Seven textile fragments entered the University of Rhode Island’s Historic Textile and Costume Collection in 2011 and were labeled as Ancient Egyptian. The fragments were each unique with different weave structures, thicknesses, and colors. The rarity of truly ancient textiles made them a significant addition to the collection. They held the potential to reveal social, cultural, and technological insights upon interpretation but lacked the proper provenance to do so. While clearly old, these fragments were not associated with an authorized archeological dig and therefore could not be easily authenticated or dated.

As part of a larger thesis project to not only authenticate the fragments but to also conserve, mount, and interpret them, Payton Becker’s project utilizes Carbon-14 dating to authenticate the fragments as ‘ancient’ and determine their specific time frame. This will allow for specific and productive interpretation that will at last make use of these potentially invaluable pieces of textile history.