Purple‐dye Production in Lycia – Results of an Archaeozoological Field Survey in Andriake (South‐west Turkey)

Abstract

In 2003 a substantial deposit of heavily fragmented shells of purple snails was by chance located at the site of Andriake, the ancient port of the Lycian city of Myra near Demre, in southern Turkey. The archaeozoological and archaeological record of a survey project in 2004 proved the identification of a large installation for the production of purple dye. Adjacent to a well preserved Hadrianic granary and partly superimposing the remains of a U-shaped building, the deposit is wrapped around three sides of a subterranean cistern. Apparently dating to the sixth century AD, the deposit contains approximately 300 m 3 of shell debris. The unique chance of examining an undisturbed and well preserved manufacturing place for purple dye provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the processual particularities as well as the ecological impact of purple-dye production in antiquity.

Archaeological Evidence for Modern Coastal Uplift at Diu, Saurashtra Peninsula, India

“…In the Mediterranean, in Antiquity, purple dye was manufactured by processing the hypobranchial gland of muricid gastropods. After oxidation, the normally translucent mucus of this gland turns to various shades of red, purple, or blue (Higginbotham, ; Forstenpointner et al., ). Fishermen collected the live snails, and kept them in a tank (the vivarium ) until a sufficient number had been gathered to start the dye extraction (Leadbetter, ).…”

Andriake, Port of Myra: Remarks in Light of New Evidence

“…Excavations revealed 89 that the murex workshops functioned from the reign of Theodisius I (379-395 CE) until the reign of Marcian (450-457 CE). 90 Purple fabric dye produced from sea snails-Murex trunculus, Murex brandaris and Hexaplex trunculus in particular 91 -was an important commercial product valued throughout Antiquity, and often a symbol of status, even exclusively reserved for the imperial family. 92 At Andriake, Hexaplex trunculus was the primary raw material for production.…”

“…Kazılar sonucunda, murex işliklerinin I. Theodosius Dönemi'nde (MS 379-395) faaliyete başladığı ve Marcianus Dönemi'ne 89 (MS 450-457) dek aktif olarak çalıştığı anlaşılmıştır. 90 Tüm Antik Çağ boyunca değer verilen, kimi zaman statü sembolü, hatta imparatorluk ailesine özel olmaya varacak kadar önem kazanan mor kumaş boyası, 91 önemli bir ticari üründür. Bu boya özellikle Murex trunculus, Murex brandaris ve Hexaplex trunculus türü kabuklu deniz yumuşakçalarından elde edilmektedir.…”

Estimating Muricid abundances from trapping methods used in Mediterranean Tyrian Purple industry

“…During Antiquity, Hexaplex trunculus was exploited intensively ( ca . from 4000 until about 1350 BP), along with Bolinus brandaris and Stramonita haemastoma as a source for the famous ‘Royal’ or ‘Tyrian’ Purple dyes throughout the Mediterranean basin (Cardon, 2003; Forstenpointner et al , 2007; Oliver, 2015). Dye production from ‘murex’ species, once believed to be exclusive to Mediterranean cultures, has been traced in archaeological sites all over the world (Cardon, 2003; Giner, 2009; Haubrichs, 2004).…”