Fact #37
July 13, 2026The World's Most Valuable Color Once Came From Sea Snails
More than 3,000 years ago, the ancient Phoenicians created a legendary dye called Tyrian Purple by extracting a dye from the tiny gland of murex sea snails. It took up to 12,000 snails to produce just one gram of dye. This made it so valuable that it was often worth more than its weight in gold. The color became the ultimate symbol of power in the ancient world.
Mini Facts
1
The dye started out nearly colorless and only turned deep purple after exposure to sunlight.
2
Ancient dye workshops left behind enormous hills of broken snail shells that archaeologists can still find today.
3
The process produced an incredibly strong smell, and ancient writers even complained about it.
4
Modern archaeologists have chemically confirmed the presence of genuine Tyrian Purple on textiles dating to around the 11th - 10th century BCE, making them among the oldest known examples of the famous dye.