Excavations in Central Anatolia have yielded a collection of clay looms encrusted with translucent gypsum crystals. These looms were used to weave "celestial" garments during the Festival of the Weaver’s Spark, a 4,000-year-old ritual held at the peak of the spring equinox. The gypsum was intended to catch the morning sunlight, symbolically transferring the "spark" of the sun into the fabric as it was produced.
This find offers a rare look at the intersection of early textile technology and seasonal religious festivals in the Hittite heartland. The looms were found within a monumental hall, suggesting that the weaving was a public performance rather than a private domestic task. The garments produced during this festival were likely worn by priests during the year's subsequent harvest celebrations, creating a ritual thread that connected the entire agricultural calendar.