Murex dye industry of Andriace

In Antiquity, purple dye was one of the symbols the nobility used to render themselves different and it was a symbol of status in every era. The highest quality of this dye is acquired from some marine shelled molluscs of the murex species and this is a quite cumbersome process. In the Agora area at the ancient harbor settlement of Andriake where we are undertaking archaeological excavations since the year 2009, there were a large amount of broken shell deposits that pointed to the existence of this industry there. During the excavations, the murex dye production workshops were unearthed and very important data was acquired that will facilitate our understanding of this industry which is known from widespread traces around the Mediterranean, yet with only very few actual workshop findings.Murex dye production is seen around the Mediterranean since the onset of the 2nd millenium BC. Around Crete and the Levant, broken shell remains are found on from the Bronze Age. It is also this period when purple dye starts to appear in ancient historical sources. In the 1st millenium BC, purple dye starts to appear in laws limiting its use especially by the common public. During the Roman Period, the commercial significance of purple rises considerably and it becomes subject to a variety of commercial and social arrangements. While preserving its importance through early christianity, its significance starts to drop in the Middle Ages when production falls and cheaper alternatives become commonplace.Murex dye production process starts by the hunting of the molluscs through traps or gathering and then storing them live. The molluscs are then either manually broken one by one or are crushed together and the dye extract is obtained. This extract is then turned into pure dye through an elaborate heating and sieving process in lead vessels that lasts for several days and the purple dyed clothing, that are highly prized in antiquity are produced through the application of this dye, sometimes also with the addition of other dyes. These processes are described by ancient writers on from the end of the 1st millennium BC. Experimental studies have also been performed on the subject based on the depictions of the ancient writers and the limited archaeological finds.The most widespread archaeological find relating to murex dye production are the broken shell middens found in many coastal settlements since the 2nd millennium BC. These middens show that the most commonly used species for dye production are Murex trunculus, Murex brandaris and Thais haemastoma. Only very few workshops have been found regarding murex dye production. The existence of this industry is known in Anatolia in settlements such as Phaselis, Aperlai, Kinet Höyük and Troia apart from Andriake. It is also seen in many other coastal settlements all around the Mediterranean. Though few, archaeological finds that have been dyed with murex dye have also been found.The murex dye workshops that constitute the subject of this study have been built in the rooms that used to be the shops of the Harbor Agora just to the east of the Imperial Warehouses in Andriake, the harbor settlement of the ancient city of Myra in Lycia. The Agora building is formed of a line of shops arranged in a rectangle around a central plaza underneath which is a still standing cistern covered by large stone slabs. Excavations have revealed that the building has been constructed at the same time with the Imperial Warehouses (Horrea) during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, and after several destruction and reconstruction phases has fell from use on from the middle of the 7th century AD.After the market function of the Agora has ended, the then still standing norhtern rooms of the building have been rearranged as workshops in the first half of the 5th century AD. The south side which has been dismantled and turned into an expanded plaza in an earlier phase, has been used as the waste dumping area for the workshops.The workshops in which the dye was produced appear as an integrated production facility constituted by large circular kilns, smaller kilns , vats, benches and channels between them. The kilns have brick entrances and in the middle have stone platforms on which the material to be haeted would be placed. The platform is surrounded by a channel that connects the interior of the kiln to the fireplace at the entrance. It appears that access to the interior of the probably domed kilns is achieved from their backsides.Findings unearthed relating to murex dye production during the excavations of the workshops and the dump middens have contributed greatly to our understanding of the industry and also facilitated the matching of archaeological data to the ancient descriptions. The lead vessel remains, iron tool, crushing bowls, storage vessels and datable finds have facilitated the dating of the industry at Andriake, and have also enabled the examination of a murex processing facility complete with its contextual findings.Excavations have revealed that the market function of the harbor agora of Andriake has ended around the end of the 4th century AD, and at least until the middle of the 5th century AD, the entire agora area has been turned into a murex dye production complex. Workshop facilities have been constructed in the then still standing northern part of the agora. These workshop facilities support the ancient historical sources depicting this industry and also the modern experimentations. They also add to our prior knowledge certain new findings. It is understood from the excavations that murex dye production in Andriake harbor agora has ended by the beginning of the 6th century AD.