Tyrian purple, historically extracted from Murex crustaceans, was a symbol of royalty due to its difficulty to obtain. The formula for making it has been lost, but synthetic dyes are used instead. The Phoenicians first produced it in Tyre, and it was colorfast and closer to magenta. To make it, shellfish were harvested and processed in a series of steps. Although it has not been successfully replicated, the color’s fame lives on.
Tyrian purple is a purple dye that has historically been extracted from crustaceans of the genus Murex, which inhabit the shallow waters of the Mediterranean. This dye became a status symbol in the ancient world, as it was difficult and time-consuming to obtain, and was used as a symbol of royalty because only royalty could afford it. Today, a variety of synthetic dyes are used instead, and indeed the formula and process for making Tyrian purple have been lost, although some people have attempted to replicate this historic dye.
The Phoenicians are believed to have been the first to produce Tire purple, in the city of Tyre, after which this dye is named. The earliest references to it date from around 1600 BC, and by 400 BC the dye was “getting its weight in silver,” according to contemporary historians. Legend has it that the dye was developed by accident, when a dog bit a mollusk and released the dye, spurring interest in using the dye to color fabrics and cosmetics.
This shade of purple is also sometimes called royal purple or imperial purple. When you think of these colors, you probably think of a deep, deep purple with lots of blue. Tyrian purple was actually much closer to the color magenta, with the raw dye looking like “clotted blood,” according to Pliny the Elder, who wrote of the process of making this dye. This dye was colorfast, an unusual trait for dyes of the time, and did not fade.
To make Tire purple, people had to harvest thousands of shellfish and allow them to partially decompose before extracting a mucus secretion produced by the shellfish. This secretion was further processed in a series of steps not known today, although the place of processing appears to have had an effect on the color of the dye, with people processing in the shade or sun for specific colours, suggesting that it was sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, at least in the early stages.
This dye has not been successfully replicated, although people have come up with a range of colors that might approach Tyrian purple. Evidence shows that the Phoenicians produced everything from a crimson red to an indigo blue using murex secretions, suggesting that a variety of manufacturing techniques were probably used. While we may not be able to reproduce Tyrian purple, the color’s fame certainly lives on.
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