WORLD CIVILIZATION

Detailed explanation-1: -Tyrian purple is a pigment made from the mucus of several species of Murex snail. Production of Tyrian purple for use as a fabric dye began as early as 1200 BC by the Phoenicians, and was continued by the Greeks and Romans until 1453 AD, with the fall of Constantinople.

Detailed explanation-2: -According to Pliny the Elder, it took thousands of snails to produce one ounce of dye. Once the snails were harvested from the sea, the mucus glands were removed and placed in a lead pot filled with brine. The pot was then slowly heated for about ten days until the mixture turned a reddish-purple color.

Detailed explanation-3: -Tyrian purple dye was first manufactured by the Phoenicians in the 16th century BCE. According to the legend recorded by the Greek scholar Julius Pollux in the 2nd century CE, the dye was discovered by the Phoenician god Melqart while walking along the seashore with his dog and the nymph Tyros.

Detailed explanation-4: -Purple was expensive, because purple dye came from snails. The video above, by CreatureCast, recounts the story of Rome’s vaunted Tyrian purple, and the color’s close link with the marine snail Bolinus brandaris. The New York Times: To make Tyrian purple, marine snails were collected by the thousands.