Purple

I have been interested in the common threads throughout our texts; exile, virtue and mentions of the colour purple!

I did not think I would have time to contemplate this further  because it is not a primary theme to be concerned with in this course, however...

Last night on Knowledge Network on a show called "Meet the Romans" http://knowledge.ca/program/meet-the-romans

the significance of PURPLE was presented!

Sappho (52)
handkerchiefs
purple     scented
from Phocaea
                        expensive gifts


Mencius (203)

" I dislike purple for fear it might be confused with vermilion; (...).

purple references also found on line  in;
Phedre, Aurelius, Dante, The Prince, The New Atlantis

http://pffc-online.com/mag/1348-paper-history-shellfish-royalty
The earliest archaeological evidence for the origins of purple dyes points to the Minoan civilization in Crete, about 1900 B.C. The ancient land of Canaan (its corresponding Greek name was Phoenicia, which means “land of the purple”) was the center of the ancient purple dye industry.
“Tyrian Purple,” the purple dye of the ancients mentioned in texts dating back to about 1600 B.C., was produced from the mucus of the hypobranchial gland of various species of marine mollusks, notably Murex. It took some 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye. Legend credits its discovery to Herakles, or rather to his dog, whose mouth was stained purple from chewing on snails along the Levantine coast. King Phoenix received a purple-dyed robe from Herakles and decreed the rulers of Phoenicia should wear this color as a royal symbol.
Although originating in Tyre (hence the name), man's first dye chemical industry spread throughout the world.
Rome, Egypt, and Persia all used purple as the imperial standard. Purple dyes were rare and expensive; only the rich had access to them. The purple colorants used came from different sources, most from the dye extraction from fish or insects.
The imperial purple of Rome was based on mollusk from which purpura comes. Emperor Aurelian refused to let his wife buy a purpura-dyed silk garment, as it cost its weight in gold!

Purple Rain by Prince is too obvious
Click here to listen to "1999", by Prince