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The Phoenicians were a remarkable people that
occupied the areas of modern day Lebanon and Syria, otherwise known as the
Levant. The Phoenicians were Semitic speaking people. Other civilizations
called them the Phoenicians, which came from the Greek word Phoinix that meant
purple. But they called themselves the Canaanites, which in the Semitic
language meant also purple people. The Phoenician did not have a unified
homogenous Kingdom. But rather, the Phoenicians were scattered into smaller
city-states like Byblos, Tyre, and Sidon. The Phoenicians were famous sea
fearing people. They developed ships and navigational skills that allowed them
to travel throughout the Mediterranean basin and even across the Straits of
Gibraltar then reached as far as Great Britain. With their great maritime
skills, they also became acclaimed for their business mindedness. They were
well-known as traders with honesty and trustworthiness. They also knew how to
manage their few natural resources into the most sought after, priced, and
treasured commodities for ages. The cedar wood that grew abundantly in lands of
Lebanon were traded by the Phoenicians at a high price for its rarity and
strength.
But
what truly became the most valued and renowned product that the Phoenicians had
was their famous purple dye. The dye, which they produced, became the hallmark
of their civilization to the point that its purple color was the basis of their
name. The shallow waters on the shores of the Levant was abundant with mollusk
species called Murex Trunculus. But
few meters away, with sea having a depth of 10 to 15 meters, species called Murex Brandaris. Both species were
processed to make the famous dye of the Phoenicians.
The
story of the purple dye of the Phoenicians was credited to a legend. According
to the story, the Phoenician God Melqart was having a stroll in the beach with
his love, the sea nymph Tyrus. While the couple was walking on the sand,
Melqart was hit with the idea of giving a gift to his love. He ordered his dog
to scavenge for something special to give to Tyrus. After quite some time,
Melqart’s dog returned. To the shock of the God, he saw his dog spewing blood
from his mouth. With closer inspection, the blood did not came from any wounds.
Rather, it came from a snail that the dog had in its mouth. The saliva and
water mixed with the snail inside the dog’s mouth and produce a reddish
substance. Melqart then used the snail to make a dye, which he used to a dress
to give to Tyrus.
Indeed,
the color of the dye produce by the Phoenicians were beautiful but it was
painstakingly made. Much of the knowledge on the process of making the famous
dye were scant, and the best record came from the Roman Pliny the Elder.
According to Pliny, the process of making the dye begun in the time when the
snails or mollusks were secreting which was before spring. Laborers would
gather many snails as they could. In order to produce a sizeable amount of die
a lot of snails were needed. In Sidon, a hills of shells was found. In Tyre, a
deep pit of shell was discovered. Both were evidence of the amount needed to
produce the purple dye in a quantity enough for domestic as well as foreign
consumption. After gathering, the veins of the snail were painstakingly taken
and collected in a vat. Then, salt was added. The amount of salt added must be
about 20 ounce for every 100 pounds of veins. The vein with salt was then left
three days precisely. Then water would be added and placed in a tin or a stoned
vessel were it would be boiled under medium heat. For ten days, the mixture was
boiled. Impurities were removed from the mixture. Through the ten day process,
the approximate 800 pound mixture from day one of the boiling would have been
reduced to just 500 pounds. A fleece would then be used in order to check the
quality of the dye. All of this process was done indoors as sunlight could
alter the color of the dye. Also, the dyes were had to be used immediately
because if it was stored, it would spoil and colors would be ruined. Thus,
production of the dye was seasonal, labor intensive, as well as time consuming.
Because
of its seasonality and time consuming labor, the purple dyes of Phoenicia were
in high demand in a high price. Purple dyed textile from Phoenicia were also
equally highly appraised. Only kings, officials, and the wealthy were capable
of acquiring such luxuries. During the time of King Solomon, purple textile of
Phoenicia were offered as a gift. Because of their wealth and dye, the
Phoenicians were targeted by great empires. The great Assyrian empire was just
among them. When the Phoenicians were under Assyrian domain, purpled dyed cloth
were so much valued that it was accepted as a tribute by the Assyrian Kings.
Even during the time of the Roman Empire, purple cloth of Phoenician remained
highly valued. The Roman Emperors flaunted their purple cloth, exhibiting their
power and wealth. It gave rise to what would be called the imperial or royal
purple.
The
treatment of the world to the purple dye of the Phoenicians was a testament to
the glory and importance of the Phoenician civilization. Through its dye, color
began to become status symbols. More importantly, the purple dye or Tyrian dye
as some called helped to land the Phoenicians a place in world history.
See also:
Beer and Ancient Egypt
Papyrus
Sumerian Women and Beer
Symbol of Lebanon in the Ancient World
Beer and Ancient Egypt
Papyrus
Sumerian Women and Beer
Symbol of Lebanon in the Ancient World
Bibliography:
Boardman, J. The Cambridge Ancient History Volume III Part II. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
Boardman, J. The Cambridge Ancient History Volume III Part II. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
Bonstock, J. “Pliny the
Elder: The Natural History.” Perseus. Accessed September 20, 2014. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu
Grimbly, S. Encyclopedia of
the Ancient World. New York: Routledge, 2000.
Marston, E. The Phoenicians.
New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2002.
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