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Iron Age purple dye "factory" in Israel was in operation for almost 500 years, using mollusks in large-scale specialized manufacturing process

04.16.25 | PLOS

Tel Shiqmona during the Iron Age: A first glimpse into an ancient Mediterranean purple dye ‘factory’

Stone tools with purple dye residue. Photos by Maria Bukin. Credit: Shalvi et al., 2025, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0

Iron Age purple dye "factory" in Israel was in operation for almost 500 years, using mollusks in large-scale specialized manufacturing process

Article URL : https://plos.io/44elLDX

Article title: Tel Shiqmona during the Iron Age: A first glimpse into an ancient Mediterranean purple dye ‘factory’

Author countries: U.S., Israel

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

PLOS One

10.1371/journal.pone.0321082

Tel Shiqmona during the Iron Age: A first glimpse into an ancient Mediterranean purple dye ‘factory’

16-Apr-2025

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Additional Media

Photo of body sherds of purple dye vats with purple dye remains. Credit: Shalvi et al., 2025, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Hexaplex trunculusshell collected near Tel Shiqmona. 400 such shells were identified by two free-style divers within 90 mins at a depth of one to two meters on October 20, 2020. Photo by Ayelet Gilboa. Credit: Shalvi et al., 2025, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0

Keywords

Anthropology Archaeology Iron Age Mollusks Social Sciences

Article Information

Journal

PLOS One

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0321082

Article Publication Date

2025-04-16

Article Title

Tel Shiqmona during the Iron Age: A first glimpse into an ancient Mediterranean purple dye ‘factory’

COI Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Contact Information

Hanna Abdallah

PLOS

onepress@plos.org

How to Cite This Article

APA:

PLOS. (2025, April 16). Iron Age purple dye "factory" in Israel was in operation for almost 500 years, using mollusks in large-scale specialized manufacturing process. Brightsurf News. https://www.brightsurf.com/news/1EODD2QL/iron-age-purple-dye-factory-in-israel-was-in-operation-for-almost-500-years-using-mollusks-in-large-scale-specialized-manufacturing-process.html

MLA:

"Iron Age purple dye "factory" in Israel was in operation for almost 500 years, using mollusks in large-scale specialized manufacturing process." Brightsurf News, Apr. 16 2025, https://www.brightsurf.com/news/1EODD2QL/iron-age-purple-dye-factory-in-israel-was-in-operation-for-almost-500-years-using-mollusks-in-large-scale-specialized-manufacturing-process.html.