Forgotten Treasures from Bab El-Gasus Cache: Examination and Restoration of a funerary textile fragment from Cairo Egyptian Museum

The Bab El-Gasus cache, discovered in Deir el-Bahari (Luxor), is one of the largest and most significant 21st Dynasty assemblages in the Cairo Egyptian Museum. This study aims to document, analyze, and conserve a previously overlooked funerary textile fragment from the cache, in order to clarify its material composition, manufacturing technique, and state of preservation. A multi-analytical approach combining Dino-Lite Portable Digital Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), Micro-Raman Spectroscopy (MRS), and Measuring the Degree of Polymerization (DP) was applied to identify fibers, dyes, and degradation patterns. The results show that the textile is composed of linen fibers, dyed with natural indigo and madder, and exhibits severe deterioration, including dust accumulation, fading, staining, creasing, lower DP and structural damage. Conservation treatments, designed to be minimal, reversible, and material-appropriate, successfully stabilized the textile and enhanced its structural integrity, cleanliness, and visual coherence. This work contributes new analytical data on 21st Dynasty textiles and offers a case study in the preservation of fragile archaeological fabrics.