Is there a reason that the colour purple is associated with royalty?

Question

Was there some kind of real-world instance or happening we can point to that caused purple to become the “royal colour”?

In: 51

Answer 1

Yes! Back in the Classical era, purple was a very rare, expensive, and secret dye, referred to as [Tyrian Purple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrian_purple). It was made from the mucous of sea snails from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic coast of what is now Morocco.

Many ancient cultures passed [sumptuary laws](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumptuary_law) which were meant to reinforce the class hierarchy and promote thrift, and in Ancient Rome, those laws included the use of Tyrian Purple, and by the 4th Century, only the Emperor was permitted to wear fabric dyed with the stuff. This tradition lasted as long as the Roman Empire did, and ‘donning the purple’ became a turn of phrase, meaning ‘Becoming the Emperor’.