The color purple is historically associated with wealth and royalty. The original purple color comes from a dye called Tyrian purple, also referred to imperial purple and royal purple. It was first used in the city of Tyre, by the ancient Phoenicians. It is a natural, reddish purple dye made from the sunlight exposed mucous secretion of a marine snail, called the spiny dye-murexthat. The dye was manufactured by collecting the sea snails, and placing them in large vats to decompose. The process was labor intensive, producing an unpleasant odor, and extremely expensive. Clothing that was dyed purple was worn only by the very wealthy, resulting in the color purple becoming a symbol of wealth. The fade resistant dye was durable, and thought to become more intense in color, instead of fading with age. It was prized by the Romans, and used to make luxurious robes for emperors and kings.
The color purple is historically associated with wealth and royalty. The original purple color comes from a dye called Tyrian purple, also referred to imperial purple and royal purple. It was first used in the city of Tyre, by the ancient Phoenicians. It is a natural, reddish purple dye made from the sunlight exposed mucous secretion of a marine snail, called the spiny dye-murexthat. The dye was manufactured by collecting the sea snails, and placing them in large vats to decompose. The process was labor intensive, producing an unpleasant odor, and extremely expensive. Clothing that was dyed purple was worn only by the very wealthy, resulting in the color purple becoming a symbol of wealth. The fade resistant dye was durable, and thought to become more intense in color, instead of fading with age. It was prized by the Romans, and used to make luxurious robes for emperors and kings.