[Steppes] Horse Blood Used For Dye?
DonnelShaw@aol.com
DonnelShaw at aol.com
Mon Jan 24 20:28:38 PST 2005
Information from Web site.
_http://www.quilthistory.com/dye.htm_ (http://www.quilthistory.com/dye.htm)
Purple was made from a mollusk and clothing made from it was so expensive
only the royal family could afford it. It was extracted from a small gastropod
mollusk found in all seas or from a crustacean called a Trumpet Shell or
Purple Fish, found near Tyre on the Mediterranean coast. Their body secreted a
deep purple fluid which was harvested by cracking the shell and digging out a
vein located near the shellfish head with a small pointed utensil. The
mucus-like contents of the veins were then mixed together and spread on silk or
linen. Estimates are that it took 8,500 shellfish to produce one gram of the dye,
hence the fact this dye was worth more than its weight in gold. This
expensive dye was also mentioned in the bible, in Acts, where Lydia is a seller of
purple
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