Purple has transcended its limits as a mere market product and become a mark of social distinction. This colour, somewhere between red and blue, is a symbol of authority, power and wealth. A rare natural animal dye associated with Phoenecian Tyre, its use and meaning spread far beyond the Mediterranean. This book is divided into five parts, each dealing with one aspect of the dye in the light of historical evidence: its characteristics (colour and smell) and origin; a biological analysis of the raw material (both the murex molluscs and the dyed material); how it is made, step by step through the process from gathering murices, following the text of Pliny the Elder; finally who made it (fishermen, workmen and merchants) and its centres of production.