What Is Murex Phoenician

Tyrian purple (aka Royal purple or Imperial purple) is a dye extracted from the murex shellfish which was first produced by the Phoenician city of Tyre in the Bronze Age.

Why was the purple murex dye made by the Phoenicians so expensive?

It is a secretion produced by several species of predatory sea snails in the family Muricidae, rock snails originally known by the name ‘Murex’. In ancient times, extracting this dye involved tens of thousands of snails and substantial labor, and as a result, the dye was highly valued.

When did the Phoenicians invent purple dye?

Tyrian purple dye was first manufactured by the Phoenicians in the 16th century BCE. According to the legend recorded by the Greek scholar Julius Pollux in the 2nd century CE, the dye was discovered by the Phoenician god Melqart while walking along the seashore with his dog and the nymph Tyros.