No color has more regal a history than purple. Let’s dive into its centuries-long reign as the color of power, status and societal change.
Because of its relative rarity in nature, purple was not commonly used until it was manufactured as a dye. Tyrian purple dye was produced using the mucus of a snail and was manufactured in the Phoenician city of Tyre. Greek mythology acknowledges the snail’s role in creating purple, stating Hercules’ dog discovered the color after eating the snail and drooling purple.
Although the dye originated from minuscule snails, it was quickly favored by giants among men. In Persia, King Cyrus II The Great adopted a purple tunic as his uniform of choice. This was no insignificant feat, as Cyrus was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, famed as a just ruler and, in the Bible, the liberator of the Jews who were captive in Babylonia.
The link between purple and royalty continued throughout history. Due to the amount of snails required to make Tyrian purple dye, it was an expensive color, but Rome continued purple’s royal tradition. Senators’ togas in Rome were trimmed in purple, and the Censor, who determined who could serve as senator, wore an entire robe of purple. During the late Roman Empire, the royal family were the only people permitted to wear purple.
Julius Caesar particularly enjoyed purple after a visit to Cleopatra. Inspired by her purple sofas and sails, Caesar donned a purple toga upon his return which he decreed only he could wear.
In Japan, common people were forbidden to wear purple, even though Japanese purple dyes did not come from Tyrian dye. In Noh performances, white and purple costumes were reserved for actors playing the emperor or the gods, and no other characters wore any shade of purple. When Henry Howard was tried for treason against Henry VIII, part of the evidence stacked against him was that he had been seen donning purple. In Byzantine, people were not born with a silver spoon in their mouths; rather, they were “born in the purple.”
Purple is a rarity, even in the human eye. It is a ‘non spectral’ color, meaning it is not present on the visible spectrum of light. While our eyes can perceive ultraviolet radiation, purple is not quite the same, as it contains more red, while violet has more blue. Unlike other colors, there is no sole wavelength that allows us to perceive the color. However, purple can exist naturally, and our eyes perceive it on the visible spectrum somewhere between red and blue.
In contemporary history, purple has been largely associated with intersectional feminism. The Purple Campaign is an organization dedicated to addressing workplace harassment, and said they chose the name because purple has been a symbol of the women’s movement since the early 1900s.
In the early ‘70s, Lavender Menace was the name given to the lesbian feminist movement, which was dedicated to intersectional feminism, particularly ensuring LGBTQIA+ women were not excluded from the women’s movement.
Purple has consistently been a color of power. From emperors to Barney, giants among men consistently live in a purple haze.
Katie Millard is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Tell Katie by tweeting her at @katie_millard11.
km053019@ohio.edu
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