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Ok, the animal is a murex mollusk. I had watched on the History Channel I think it was, where they said the animal that made purple dye was extinct. But maybe that was an animal that made something else. I dont know, but it seems the murex mollusk is still alive and ticking.
According to the article I just read on it, it took about 10,000 of these things to make one purple toga.
Nomen:Jared AKA "Nihon" AKA "Nihonius" AKA "Hey You"
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Carpe Dium
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It doesn't look like the dye has gotten any cheaper though one article claimed that 12,000-20,000 shellfish had to be used to obtain 1.5 grams of dye so perhaps that accounts for it. Not quite 20 times the value of gold, but still not far from it.
I haven't seen anything that supported the murex's extinction. The reason for the dye disappearing wasn't due to lack of materials but the fad had passed and Cardinals purple replaced it.
Derek D. Estabrook
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I just post what I remember hearing in different places. It's been so long since I heard this stuff, I couldnt tell you a sure source. Also, I posted on the murex that it isnt extinct. So I said it must have been something else I had heard about, though I could swear it was the animal that made purple. I watched something on the History Channel I think that talked about a shell fish that had never been found, but was referenced alot in ancient writings. I'm sorry if I goof on some info, I just tell what I hear. Alot of history is just speculation anyways.
Where do you all get your information? I'd be intersted in some good sources.
Nomen:Jared AKA "Nihon" AKA "Nihonius" AKA "Hey You"
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Wow, you do alot of reading. Sorry though, I dont know German. The Egyptian one maybe. Got a few history degrees I bet? It's probably something I'll go for too.
Nomen:Jared AKA "Nihon" AKA "Nihonius" AKA "Hey You"
Now with Anti-Varus protection! If your legion is lost for any reason, we will give it back! Guaranteed!
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