Shocking Discovery: A Solid Sample of Tyrian Purple Dye Unearthed in Carlisle, England!

Archaeologists and volunteers made a shocking discovery during an excavation of a Roman bath in Carlisle, England. They uncovered an extremely rare object that is believed to be a solid sample of Tyrian purple dye, one of the most valuable artificial pigments in ancient times. This substance was so expensive that it was even more valuable than gold and reserved for the upper class.

Producing Tyrian purple is an incredibly complex process that requires collecting thousands of sea snails. Experts estimate that up to 12,000 snails need to be processed to create just 1 gram of dye. This makes it clear why this pigment was so valuable in Roman times, where it was used for various purposes such as painting frescoes and dyeing clothes.

Frank Giecco, an archaeologist with mining consultancy Wardell Armstrong, who participated in the excavation at Carlisle, commented on the discovery. “For millennia, Tyrian purple has been the most expensive and sought-after color in the world,” he said. “Finding a solid specimen like the blob in Carlisle is particularly unusual.” According to him, this is the only example known from Northern Europe and possibly even the only example found anywhere in the Roman empire of a solid sample of unused paint pigment form.

The Phoenicians first produced Tyrian purple in the 2nd millennium BC in Tire – a city in Lebanon and one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited settlements. The production process involved harvesting sea snails from areas around Tire and processing them using special techniques to extract their secretions into a liquid form. From there, they were mixed with other ingredients such as bromine and beeswax to create a deep purple color that could be used for various purposes such as painting walls and clothing.

Today, researchers continue to study this precious pigment to learn more about its history and how it was used by ancient cultures like Rome’s upper class. The discovery at Carlisle provides us with valuable insights into how these societies valued certain colors and how they used them for different purposes such as artistic expression and social status symbols.