The Royal Purple and the Biblical Blue: Argaman and Tekhelet ed. by Ehud Spanier

Abstract

TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE Book Reviews 667 with wonderful diagrams and drawings in the manner of the best of the “how-it-works” books, from the placement of rowers in a Greek trireme to the conhguration of the fissionable material in the Hi­ roshima and Nagasaki bombs (military technology is very well cov­ ered). The colorful drawings in this book are valuable resources for any student or teacher of the history of technology. The five major parts of the book are prefaced by large maps and time lines that are in themselves valuable graphic tools. The text is rich and readable (though not without editorial slips and technical lapses), but in the long run this book will be valued for its images. Consider giving it as a gift, but allow enough time to enjoy the pictures yourself. Robert Friedel Dr. Friedel teaches the history of technology at the University of Maryland, College Park. He was the chief consultant for the National Geographic Society’s recent book, Inventors and Discoverers. The Royal Purple and the Biblical Blue: Argaman and Tekhelet. Edited by Ehud Spanier. Jerusalem: Keter, 1987. Pp. 220; illustrations, notes. The allure of ancient technologies, especially those related to the processes for the extraction and use of rare and valuable materials that once possessed great cultural significance, holds a special fasci­ nation. This book is the outcome of a quest to resolve the uncertain­ ties surrounding the so-called royal or Tyrian purple and the blue dyestuffs that command a special significance in the Jewish religion. The same purple was also revered in the Roman and Byzantine empires, where its use was associated with high social standing. The collapse of Byzantium’s control in the Near East marked the loss of the secrets of the industry. Sidney M. Edelstein took up the challenge of the royal purple almost thirty years ago and subsequently brought together a team of experts whose approach is a model of how to tackle the problems of extinct technologies, with special emphasis on site and laboratory studies and reconstructions. The royal purple (Hebrew: argaman] and biblical blue (Hebrew: tekhelet) are the products of secretions from marine snails of the genus Murex; the purple color, derived from the female, is here confirmed to be 6,6’-dibromoindigo, while the blue, from the male, is probably identical with the plant dye indigo. The major part of The Royal Purple and the Biblical Blue is devoted to the earliest modern comprehensive study of the subject, undertaken by Rabbi Isaac Halevy Herzog (later Chief Rabbi of Israel). Herzog’s “Hebrew Porphyrology,” most ably edited by Moshe Ron, was the basis of his D.Litt. thesis submitted to the University of London in 1913. It is predominantly a critical account of studies into early texts and a 668 Book Reviews TECHNOLOGY AND CULTURE record of scientific investigations dating from the first chance obser­ vations in the 1850s that had led to the understanding of the origins of these biblical dyes. Herzog was not satisfied with relying on ancient sources alone and turned for advice to British, French, and German experts in “tinctorial chemistry” who had made their names in the held of synthetic dyes. Other sections of the book deal with the extensive archaeological evidence for the existence of the industry (Nira Karmon and Ehud Spanier), the role of the purple in late antiquity and Byzantium (Jane Bridgeman), the chemical aspects (Otto Eisner and Spanier), the varieties of snails (Spanier and Karmon), their connection with the purple dye (Henk K. Mienis and Spanier), and Jewish religious (halakic) aspects (Israel I. Ziderman). Eisner and Spanier pay special attention to chemical history, reaching back to the earliest non-Jewish writings on dyeing, which are conspicuous for the absence of tekhelet. The ongoing mystery is due in part to the monopolistic position conferred on those once involved in producing and regulating the supply of the color. The problems of biblical nomenclature, so painstakingly tackled by Herzog, are clari­ fied as far as it is possible by Ziderman. The contributors indicate that further important discoveries are to follow as chemical, biological, and archaeological inquiries continue. In the meantime, students of ancient technology and culture will be...