The Secret of Tyrian Purple

Tyrian purple is a rare, valuable dye produced from the mucus of certain sea snails called murex. Historically, it was highly prized for its vibrant, lasting purple hue and was reserved for royalty and clergy. The process involved harvesting thousands of snails, extracting their mucus, and complexly processing it to create the dye. Because of the labor-intensive method and limited supply, Tyrian purple was extremely expensive, symbolizing power and prestige in ancient societies. Modern chemistry has identified its main ingredient as a compound called 6,6'-dibromoindigo, making it easier to produce synthetically today.