Fulcher, K 2017 Review of Treasures from the Sea: Sea Silk and Shellfish Purple Dye in Antiquity, ed. H. L. Enegren and F. Meo. Papers from the Institute of Archaeology, 27(1): Art. 15, pp. 1–4, DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/pia-535 REVIEW Review of Treasures from the Sea: Sea Silk and Shellfish Purple Dye in Antiquity, ed. H. L. Enegren and F. Meo Kate Fulcher Treasures from the Sea: Sea silk and shellfish purple dye in antiquity, ed. H. L. Enegren and F. Meo, Oxford; Havertown: Oxbow Books, 224 pages (Hardbound), £38, US$55, 2017, ISBN: 978-1785704352. This volume presents the proceedings of a conference in Lecce in 2013, which brought together several different approaches including archaeology, experimentation, scientific analysis, and terminology. This interdisciplinary approach is reflected in the publication, which both maintains the reader’s interest and works well for ancient materials. This volume presents the proceedings of a 80% during processing. The natural col- conference held in Lecce, Italy, in 2013, on our is a greenish brown, transformed into a the subject of two sea “treasures”: the beard golden brown by cleaning and treating with fibres of the fan mussel, used to weave small lemon juice. It continued to be produced scale textiles known as sea silk, and purple through to modern times, until 1992 when dye extracted from the hypobranchial glands it was placed under the protection of the of certain molluscs. Sixteen papers are pre- EU Habitat Directive. One interesting short sented, the first half focussing on sea silk, and article (Pes & Pes) introduces the reader to the second half on purple dye. The volume the skills required for the preparation of sea brings together several different approaches silk for weaving by modern practitioners; the including archaeology, experimentation, sci- process is delicate and lengthy, which adds to entific analysis, and terminology. the value of the material. Sea silk and purple dye were both diffi- Finds of actual textiles made of sea silk or cult to obtain and considered valuable and dyed purple are extremely rare. The archaeo- prestigious in antiquity. Sea silk fibres are logical evidence for both sea silk and purple harvested from the mussel Pinna nobilis, dye production is mainly the mounds of which attaches itself to the seabed using discarded mollusc shells that can be found these fibres. An adult mussel can produce at several sites around the Mediterranean. 2–3g of the fibres, which is reduced by about However, molluscs of these types were also collected as a food source, and the fan mussel as a source of mother-of-pearl. To extract the UCL, GB dye from the molluscs the shell needed to be [email protected] crushed, so mounds of crushed, rather than Art. 15, page 2 of 4 Fulcher: Review of Treasures from the Sea whole, shells are often taken as evidence for brings into question whether the two indus- purple dye production. The papers that deal tries might have been at all related, despite with the archaeological evidence (Houby- their shared prestige. Nielsen; Kremer; Meo; Soriga & Carannante) Several papers deal with the issue of the in the main take the approach that a wider terms used for sea silk and purple dye in range of evidence must be considered that the languages of antiquity (Brøns; Maeder; may in conjunction with the shell mounds Meiers; Sorgia & Carannante; Sorgia). The indicate that a textile preparation or dying conclusion seems to be, unsurprisingly, that industry was taking place. Loom weights no-one can be sure what exactly was meant provide some of this evidence; some of the by several of the words used, and whether weights found are much lighter than normal they were specific for the materials under ones, suggesting they were used for a finer discussion, or more general, for instance fabric, woven on a smaller scale. This may “prestigious fabric” rather than “sea silk”, or have coincided with the use of a purple dye “purple/red dye” rather than “shellfish pur- and sea silk for imitation gold threads. These ple”. It seems unlikely that this issue can be loom weights spread from Crete to the rest resolved, and there may be too much space of the Aegean and the Levantine coast, indi- devoted to these discussions in this volume, cating the spread of the technology associ- which at times become repetitive. ated with the weights, which may have been Some of the most interesting articles are related to the use of special dyes. An addi- those that deal with the position of purple tional piece of evidence for the production of textiles within ancient societies, and the sea silk are sharp micro blades which appear people who used them. In the main it seems in the archaeological record at the same time that both sea silk and purple fabric had a as Pinna shells. However, the evidence for very privileged position in society, but the the manufacture of both sea silk and pur- discovery of fragments of purple dyed textile ple dye presented here is unconvincing. It (some identified as shellfish dye) in the rub- would be interesting to see in the future a bish heaps at the 1st century CE Roman fort more thorough investigation, including sci- of Didymoi in Egypt suggest a more compli- entific analysis, of the dying installations in cated picture (Gleba et al.). Their presence the Aegean and Levant, which may provide here indicates that either the dye was more more direct evidence of the use of purple accessible than previously assumed, or some dye. There is also the unresolved question as sort of recycling was occurring. Two articles to what acidic substance would have been deal with the presence and role of purple used to bring out the golden shine of the textiles in Greek temples (Brøns; Ferrara), Pinnus fibres; modern texts and experiments where they were offered in tribute and sub- state that lemon juice should be used (Meo; ject to restrictions, along with other brightly Pes & Pes) but lemons were not introduced coloured fabrics. One article introduces the into the Mediterranean region until the 3rd Purpurarii (Lowe), prosperous traders in pur- century BC (Meo). ple dye and fabrics, and one with the role of Scientific and experimental studies pre- shellfish resources in diplomatic events of sented in the volume prove that Pliny’s economic importance around the Aegean description of the purple shellfish dying (Giner & Nieto). process was inaccurate and replicate the The volume is a pleasure to read, and ancient procedure, which takes several days, those of us in the English-speaking world a large amount of molluscs, and is famously should be grateful that they chose to publish very smelly (Cooksey; Kanold; Meiers). One in English. Some of the photographs could reported experiment shows that sea silk be of a higher quality, but the overall pub- could not be dyed purple (Kanold), which lication is excellent. The interdisciplinary Fulcher: Review of Treasures from the Sea Art. 15, page 3 of 4 approach maintains the reader’s interest and purple dye in antiquity. Oxford: Oxbow, works well for ancient materials, which can 46–55. be studied from a variety of angles. Kanold, I B 2017 Dying wool and sea silk with purple pigment from Hexaplex Competing Interests trunculus. In: Enegren, H L and Meo, F The author has no competing interests to (eds.), Treasures from the sea: sea silk and declare. shellfish purple dye in antiquity. Oxford: Oxbow, 67–72. References Kremer, C 2017 The spread of purple dying Brøns, C 2017 Sacred colours: purple textiles in the Eastern Mediterranean – a transfer in Greek sanctuaries in the second half of of technological knowledge? In: Enegren, the 1st millennium BC. In: Enegren, H L H L and Meo, F (eds.), Treasures from the and Meo, F (eds.), Treasures from the sea: sea: sea silk and shellfish purple dye in sea silk and shellfish purple dye in antiq- antiquity. Oxford: Oxbow, 96–108. uity. Oxford: Oxbow, 109–117. Lowe, B J 2017 Purpurarii in the Western Cooksey, C 2017 Recent advances in the Mediterranean. In: Enegren, H L and understanding of the chemistry of Tyrian Meo, F (eds.), Treasures from the sea: sea purple production from Mediterranean silk and shellfish purple dye in antiquity. molluscs. In: Enegren, H L and Meo, F Oxford: Oxbow, 154–158. (eds.), Treasures from the sea: sea silk and Maeder, F Byssus and sea silk: a linguistic shellfish purple dye in antiquity. Oxford: problem with consequences. In: Enegren, Oxbow, 73–78. H L and Meo, F (eds.), Treasures from the Ferrara, B 2017 “A Lydian chiton with a pur- sea: sea silk and shellfish purple dye in ple fringe…”: the gift of the garment to antiquity. Oxford: Oxbow, 4–19. the Hera of Samos and Hera of Sele. In: Meiers, F 2017 Historical outline and chro- Enegren, H L and Meo, F (eds.), Treasures matic properties of purpura rubra Tar- from the sea: sea silk and shellfish purple entina and its potential identification dye in antiquity. Oxford: Oxbow, 118–130. with purple dye extracted from Bolinus Giner, C A and Nieto, F J F 2017 “Purple brandaris. In: Enegren, H L and Meo, F wars”: fishing rights and political conflicts (eds.), Treasures from the sea: sea silk and concerning the production of marine shellfish purple dye in antiquity. Oxford: dyes in Hellenistic Greece. In: Enegren, H Oxbow, 138–144. L and Meo, F (eds.), Treasures from the sea: Meo, F 2017 Taras and sea silk. In: Enegren, H sea silk and shellfish purple dye in antiq- L and Meo, F (eds.), Treasures from the sea: uity.