What is Tyrian Purple?
Tyrian Purple is a purple dye which was historically extracted from shellfish in the genus Murex, which inhabits the shallow waters of the Mediterranean. This dye became a status symbol in the ancient world, since it was difficult and time-consuming to obtain, and it came to be used as a symbol of royalty because only royalty could afford it. Today, a variety of synthetic dyes are used instead, and in fact the formula and process for making Tyrian Purple has been lost, although some people have attempted to replicate this historic dye. The Phoenicians are believed to have been the first to make Tyrian Purple, in the city of Tyre, for which this dye is named. The first references to Tyrian Purple date to around 1600 BCE, and by 400 BCE, the dye was “fetching its weight in silver,” according to contemporary historians. Legend has it that Tyrian Purple was developed by accident, when a dog bit into a shellfish and released the dye, stimulating interest in using the dye to color textiles a
