Purveyors of Purple: The Oceans' Gift to the World of Color

Abstract

Tyrian, or murex, purple was one of the most luxurious and coveted commodities of the ancient world. It meant life, death, and livelihood to many thousands of people for almost four millennia. Its production was the world's first major industry. Depending on supply, demand, politics, and the law, its symbolic value kept pace with and often outpaced its monetary value. Purple dye was the status symbol par excellence, and it was also the two-edged sword that cut through the essence of a society and laid bare its injustices and inadequacies. But its real importance lay in its mysterious, almost mystical, attraction to the human imagination despite the fact that its origin was the lowly murex snail. The aura of myth, magic and mystery has lingered through the centuries: purple holds sway even today in cutting-edge research. Modern chemists have spotlighted it as a rich resource for studies in materials science, pharmacology and synthetic organic chemistry; it has a permanent place in art historical and archaeological research, and recent doctoral dissertations have focused on its socio-political, symbolic and religious connotations throughout history.