More Valuable than gold
Producing Tyrian purple was an incredibly difficult and tedious process, requiring hundreds of man hours to create enough dye for a thin, silk scarf. In the 3rd century CE, one Roman pound (0.72 modern pounds or 0.327 kg) of unprocessed purple silk was priced at 150,000 denarii according to the price edicts of Emperor Diocletian. For comparison, most daily wages were between 50-75 denarii, and gold was priced at 72,000 denarii per Roman pound.
Colors you must see to believe
Just as cameras struggle to capture the brilliance of diamonds, so too are the iridescent colors of Tyrian purple reserved for the naked eye. To best illustrate this natural effect, the gland alone of the Murex snail has been used to paint this paper. The spectrum (ranging from blues to magentas to maroons) is displayed flatly on paper as how it would appear three-dimensionally on fabrics.
Of Cleopatra and Caesar
A color coveted by even the most prestigious of royalty for its beauty and symbolism of wealth. Murex purple became the physical language of power for two of the most notable names in history, as the legacies of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar became deeply intertwined with the rich colors of the dye.
