Tyrian purple found in Roman infant burials in York

Researchers from the University of York have identified remnants of Tyrian purple, a highly valuable dye, in textiles associated with Roman infant burials in York, UK. These burials are believed to date back to the late third or early fourth century AD. Two infants were found wrapped in cloth dyed with Tyrian purple and adorned with gold embroidery, a luxury often linked to emperors and the elite. The dye originates from Tyre (present-day Lebanon) and requires the crushing of around 12,000 murex sea snails to produce just one gram. This marks the first discovery of its kind in York and one of the few in the UK, part of the Seeing the Dead project led by Professor Maureen Carroll, which examines gypsum burials.