Hexaplex trunculus
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| Hexaplex trunculus Linnaeus, 1758 |
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Murex trunculus |
Hexaplex trunculus (also known as Murex trunculus or banded dye-murex) is a marine snail, whose hypobranchial gland secretes a mucus that the ancient Canaanites/Phoenicians used as a distinctive purple-blue indigo dye. One of the dye's main chemical ingredients is indigotin, but if left in the sun for a few minutes before becoming fast, its color turns to a blue indigo (like blue jeans).
[edit] Animal
H. trunculus has a broadly conical shell about 4 to 10 cm long. It occurs in shallow, sublittoral waters of the Mediterranean and the bordering west Atlantic Ocean. It has a rather high spire with seven angulated whorls. The shell is variable in sculpture and colouring with dark banding, and gives four varieties. The ribs may develop thickenings or spines and give the shell a rough appearance.
Synonyms : Murex trunculus, L. 1758; Phyllanotus trunculus, Truncullariopsis trunculus L., 1758.
[edit] Ancient use of dye
The ancient method for mass-producing the purple-blue dye from H. trunculus has not yet been successfully reproduced (because the purplish hue degrades too quickly resulting in blue only), but the use of this species has been confirmed in the archeology of Phoenicia, where large quantities of this sea snail's shells have been recovered from inside ancient live storage chambers used for harvesting. Allegedly, 60,000 murex were needed to produce one pound of dye. The dye was highly prized in ancient times. Sometimes known as royal blue, it was prohibitively expensive and only afforded by the highest ranking aristocracy (hence the term "blue-blooded" to refer to aristocracy).
A similar dye, Tyrian purple, which is purple-red in color, was made from a related species of marine snail, Murex brandaris. This dye (alternatively known as imperial purple, see purple) was also prohibitively expensive.
[edit] Jewish use of dye
The Hebrew Bible mentions a specific blue dye, called tekhelet (Hebrew: תְּכֵלֶת /təxelɛθ/) for use in tzitzit, the formal fringes of clothing, which some believe refers to the indigo dye from the Hexaplex trunculus when kept in the sun.
Similarly, the Hebrew Bible also mentions a specific purple dye, called argaman (Hebrew: אַרְגָּמָן /ʔargɔmɔn/), which refers to the purple color this same dye produces when kept in the shade.
Finally, the Hebrew Bible mentions a red dye, called shani, which refers to the red dye produced in the same manner from the Murex brandaris.
