Dye Definitions — definitions of dyes, pigments and dyeing terms from Apparel Search
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, and the expensive dye was prized by Roman noblemen, who used it to color ceremonial robes. The archaeological discovery of substantial numbers of Murex shells on Crete suggests the Minoans may have pioneered the extraction of royal purple centuries before the Tyrians, possibly in the 20th to 18th century B.C.
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
See also: Indigo dye
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The Price of PurpleThe economics of Tyrian purple were brutal. The dye gland of each murex snail yields a drop of secretion, which turns purple only on exposure to air and sunlight; producing a single gram of dye took thousands of snails, gathered, crushed and steeped in vats whose smell ancient writers complained about across whole districts of Tyre and Sidon. Archaeological shell middens — mountains of broken murex shells — mark the production sites around the Mediterranean. A pound of purple-dyed wool could cost more than a worker earned in years, and Roman law progressively reserved the deepest shades for the emperor alone. Scarcity, fastness and a rich blue-purple tone that no plant dye could match made Tyrian purple the ancient world's supreme luxury color, and its name still carries that meaning. A Brominated IndigoFriedlander's 1909 identification of the dye as 6,6-dibromoindigo settled a question that had stood for millennia: Tyrian purple is indigo chemistry with two bromine atoms, which is why its hue leans from indigo's blue toward crimson-purple. The bromine comes from the sea — the snails concentrate it from seawater — making the dye a marine counterpart to the plant vat dyes. Synthetic indigo arrived commercially in 1897 and synthetic substitutes soon supplied every purple the market needed at a fraction of the cost, so the synthesized dibromoindigo of 1903 was never produced commercially, and the snail fisheries that supplied Tyre, Sidon and Crete passed into archaeology. Modern dyers occasionally revive the extraction for historical work, one shell at a time. Purple as a Rank, Not Just a ColorBecause the dye defined who was allowed to wear it, Tyrian purple shaped the language of status: 'born to the purple' for imperial children, purple robes and borders as legal ranks, and the survival of purple as the ceremonial color of bishops, monarchs and universities long after the dye itself vanished. Few colorants have left so deep a mark on culture relative to the tonnage ever produced. Common QuestionsWhat is Tyrian purple made from?Tyrian purple was made from a secretion of marine molluscs — sea snails such as Murex trunculus and Murex brandaris. Enormous numbers of shells were needed for a small amount of dye, which is why it was so expensive. What is the chemistry of Tyrian purple?Its main chemical constituent was discovered by Paul Friedlander in 1909 to be 6,6-dibromoindigo — a brominated relative of indigo. The substance had previously been synthesized in 1903, but it has never been synthesized commercially. Who wore Tyrian purple?Roman noblemen used it to color ceremonial robes, and its cost and legal restrictions made it a badge of rank — the origin of purple as the color of royalty and empire. More to ExploreMore from Apparel Search: Dye Definitions | Clothing Industry Glossary | Fashion Terms | Apparel Search Home
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