White was chosen for its high visibility and neutrality. In ancient times, it was easier to find plain white cloth (often made of wool or linen) than dyed fabrics. It serves as a "blank canvas" that does not align with any specific faction’s colors, making it a universal tool for communication. Legal and Global Recognition

: Historian Livy recorded a Carthaginian ship using "white wool and branches of olive" to signal defeat during the Second Punic War (218 B.C.). In 69 A.D., Tacitus noted white flags were used by Vitellian forces surrendering at the Second Battle of Cremona.

: It is believed that approximately 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, the Chinese used white as a color for mourning, which eventually evolved into a symbol of surrender.

The white flag is not merely a custom; it is protected under international law: How Did the White Flag Become a Symbol of Surrender?