Geographical Destribution of the Shell-Purple Industry, 11 
The search for the purple-bearing shell-fish seems to 
have been one of the motives which lead the Phoenicians 
to explore areas further afield than their own immediate 
shores. The Atgean and the shores of Asia Minor were 
visited by these ancient mariners, and important fisheries 
were established at several places both here and elsewhere 
around the Mediterranean. 
Many of their stations are made known to us by 
ancient writers, but the evidence of the existence of 
others rests upon the discoveries of heaps of broken 
shells. 
In Asia Minor fisheries for purple-shells are cited by 
Aristotle” on the coasts of Caria, and the Edict of 
Diocletian mentions the purple cloths of Miletus.* There 
were purple dyeworks also at Phoceea in Lydia,” and at 
Hierapolis in Phrygia’ In Troas shells were fished at 
Lectum and at Sigeum,” and_ one of the islands of the 
Propontis (Sea of Marmora) was known as Porphyrione.* 
Vitruvius mentions the purple of Pontus.” In the A¢gean 
Sea the islands noted for purple were Khodes,” Nisyros 
(formerly Porphyris),* Coos, Amorgos and Chios.” 
According to Herodotus, Itanus, at the eastern extremity 
27 Aristotle, ///s/. Av., v.. 15, 3. In the time of Ifomer the women 
of Caria trafficked in purple (//. iv., 141). 
28 Edict. Diocl., 24, 6 & 7. 
29 Ovid, AZez., vi., 9. Thyatira in Lydia was celebrated fortits purple- 
dyeing (cf. Homer, //. iv., 141); at Philippi a seller of purple hom Thyatira 
was converted by St. Paul (Ac/s, 16, 14). 
SO fey DESMMCIn OP ny C2E-5) Ps 7/7 5s 
St Aristotle, of. cd. 
Sie linnwcu Ney Eling v.50 Ch. 44, 
$% Vitruvius, vil., 13. 
SES feHe 
BoM Pliny so sNelde ve,.Cls oO: 
26 ¢f, Besnier, of. cét., p. 775. (At Coos, cloths were probably dyed 
with Kermes-coccus). 
