Armenian karmir, Sogdian karmīr "red", Hebrew karmīl and the Armenian scale insect dye in antiquity

Agnes Korn (1) , Georg Warning (2)

1 Mondes Iranien et Indien - UMR 7528
2 Chercheur indépendant

This paper looks at three terms denoting the colour “red”, viz. Armenian karmir, the obviously corresponding Sogdian word karmīr, and karmīl “scarlet” found in the Hebrew Bible. It will first briefly discuss the etymology of these words (summarising an argument made elsewhere) and argue that the words in question are a technical term for a red dye from Armenia produced from scale insects. We will then attempt to show that historical data and chemical analysis of extant historical textiles confirm the Armenian red as the relevant dye.

Mots clés: Iranian languages; Middle Persian; Sogdian; Hebrew

Domaines: Linguistique

Agnes Korn, Georg Warning. Armenian karmir, Sogdian karmīr "red", Hebrew karmīl and the Armenian scale insect dye in antiquity. Salvatore Gaspa; Cécile Michel; Marie Louise Nosch. Textile Terminologies from the Orient to the Mediterranean and Europe, 1000 BC to 1000 AD, Zea Books, pp.173-187, 2017, 978-1-60962-112-4. ⟨10.13014/K2S46PVB⟩. ⟨halshs-01333885v2⟩