In ancient times, however, it belonged to one of the most important and lucrative branches of textile finishing: mountains of crushed shells in the settlements along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea still mirror the industriousness of purple dyeworks. Finally, with the discovery of the synthetic purple dye mauveine in 1856, real mollusc purple largely lost its significance in dyeing fibres. Therefore, it is hoped that a fresh interpretation of old evidence will compel a reassessment of ko-ri-ja¬-do-no in favor of the historically important “shell-purple” industry.Īfter the fall of Byzantium in 1453 and the import of more economical dyes from the New World, the decline of shellfish purple was sealed. Moreover, it seems hardly reasonable that the Minoan record would be completely lacking in any references to the production of pigments.
Nevertheless, while the apparent lack of shell evidence at Knossos may compel a dismissal of the epigraphic evidence, it is important to consider the secondary uses of shell refuse, particularly as shell lime in the production of the durable frescos of Knossos. Evidence for purple can be found not only in the attested po-pu-reuman ingenuity has even learned to mingle with the productions of the earth.” The formulas for these associated dyes and pigments are primarily evident in the Ge series at Mycenae. I propose, instead, that ko-ri-ja-do-no is a ‘convoluted’ reference to κρῑηδόν (krīêdon) as it pertains, generally, to shellfish and, particularly, to the elusive Mycenaean production of Tyrian purple and associated dyes.
Due to this poor phonetic approximation, a fresh proposal is overdue. In 1956, Ventris and Chadwick proposed that coriander may be derived from ko-ri-ja¬-do-no (koria(n)dnon), thought to be employed in the production of unguents.
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