Tyrian purple is a
purple
dye first made in
the ancient city of
Tyre. It was made from a secretion of various
marine
molluscs, such as
Murex trunculus and
Murex brandaris.
The expensive dye was prized by
Roman noblemen, who used it to colour ceremonial
robes.
The archaeological discovery of substantial
numbers of Murex shells on
Crete suggests that the
Minoans may have pioneered the extraction of
Royal purple centuries before the Tyrians. Dating
from colocated pottery, suggests the dye may have
been produced during the Middle Minoan period in the
20th-18th century B.C
The main chemical constituent of the dye was discovered by
Paul Friedl
nder in
1909 to be 6,6′-dibromoindigo, a substance that had
previously been synthesized in
1903. However, it has never been synthesized
commercially.
See also:
Indigo dye
Fabric Definition
Fiber
Definition