Rare Tyrian Purple Dye Discovered in Carlisle: A Look into the Luxurious Life of the Roman Upper Class

In the city of Carlisle, northern England, an extremely rare object was discovered by archaeologists and volunteers during an excavation of a Roman bath. The object, made of a soft purple substance, contained beeswax and the element bromine, which indicates that it is a solid sample of Tyrian purple dye – a highly valuable artificial pigment in ancient times.

Tyrian purple is secreted by some carnivorous sea snails living in the Mediterranean region. Producing this dye is extremely difficult and requires collecting thousands of sea snails. Experts estimate that up to 12,000 snails need to be processed to create just 1 gram of dye. This substance was so expensive in Roman times that it was even more valuable than gold and reserved for use by the upper class.

For millennia, Tyrian purple has been the most expensive and sought-after color in the world. Frank Giecco, an archaeologist with mining consultancy Wardell Armstrong who participated in the excavation at Carlisle, said that finding a solid specimen like the blob in Carlisle is particularly unusual. “This is the only example that we know of from Northern Europe, and possibly even the only example, of a solid sample in unused paint pigment form anywhere in the Roman empire,” Giecco said.

Tyrian purple was first produced by the Phoenicians – an ancient civilization of the Mediterranean region originating from the coastal region of Levant – over 2000 years ago. The most famous place of production is Tire – a city in Lebanon and one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited settlements. This dye is also produced in some other areas of North Africa as well as other regions around Mediterranean coastline.

The Tyrian purple dye sample at Carlisle was likely used to paint frescoes according to Sarah Irving, a spokeswoman for Cumberland Council which collaborated with Wardell Armstrong on the excavation project. This pigment can also be used to paint walls in large public buildings, homes and real estate properties belonging to upper class as well as dye clothes with its vibrant color.

In conclusion, discovering this rare object at Carlisle provides us with insight into how this valuable pigment was used during Roman times and sheds light on how difficult it was to produce such a precious commodity due to its high demand among upper class people.