An extremely rare Tyrian purple dye block was discovered during an excavation of a Roman bath in Carlisle, northern England. The dye, made from sea snails collected in the Mediterranean region, was highly valuable in ancient times and reserved for use by the upper class. Experts estimate that up to 12,000 sea snails need to be processed to create just 1 gram of dye.
Tyrian purple is secreted by some carnivorous sea snails living in the Mediterranean region and has been used for millennia as an extremely expensive and sought-after color. The pigment is first produced by the Phoenicians – an ancient civilization of the Mediterranean region, originating from the coastal region of the Levant. The most famous place of production is Tire – a city in Lebanon and one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited settlements.
The Tyrian purple dye sample at Carlisle was likely used to paint frescoes or large public buildings, homes and real estate of the upper class, as well as to dye clothes. Sarah Irving, a spokeswoman for Cumberland Council, which collaborated with Wardell Armstrong on the excavation project, said that this pigment can be used for various purposes such as painting walls or dyeing fabrics.
Frank Giecco, an archaeologist with mining consultancy Wardell Armstrong who participated in the excavation at Carlisle, stated that finding a solid specimen like this is particularly unusual and it’s likely that it would have been kept unused due to its high value. “This is only example we know of from Northern Europe,” Giecco said. “It is truly unique discovery.”
