color

Tyrian purple

Colors & materials

A costly purple dye from Mediterranean murex shells. Not generic purple, and not indigo.

Also known as Tyrian Purple · Royal purple

  • Tyrian purple is used in Dye.

    Pliny’s Natural History treats Tyrian purple among murex shellfish dyes: the famous purple of cloth and rank. A Roman-era dye use of the murex liquor, not generic purple as a hue word and not cochineal.

    from Pliny the Elder · Natural History, c. 77 CE

    used in · sourced · documented

sources