Giogyixf^ltical Disti ibntioii of the Sliell-riirpU- hidnstr\\ \ ^ 



Testaceo, behind the Alcantariiic ("oiivent at iarcnto. 

 consisting; chiefly of the shells of Miircx I'nvideris.'" 



The purple of the Adriatic port of Ancona is cited b)- 

 Siliiis Italicus. Dalmatia. Istria, Venetia and Sicily, liaia- 

 and Ai]uinuni on the west coast of ltal\-, were also centres 

 of the industry in Roman times/' Fischer, in his " Manuel 

 de C'onchyliolooie," ^'" refers to tlie discoxerv at Pompeii of 

 heA\iso^ Pi irp urn in the neighbourhood of many dyeworks. 



Liguria provides us with inteiesting evidence of an 

 early search for purple. In two caves in this region, the 

 cave of Pollera and C'averna delle Arene Candide, both 

 said to be of Neolithic age, Don Morelli found the broken 

 shells of Purpnia iiu'mastoiiia. Mosso,* in referring to 

 these discoveries, overlooks their true significance, and 

 states that this mollusc has ne\er been found in Ital)', but 

 is ver\- common along the West African shore. On this 

 account he suggests that the cave shells represent objects 

 brought by early mariners returning from Africa as votive 

 oflerings for escape from the dangers of the sea Regard- 

 ing the distribution of the species in question, Mosso is 

 somewhat at fault ; it is very widely distributed in the 

 ^Mediterranean, occurring on the coasts of l'ro\ence, 

 Corsica. .Sardinia, Sicil}', and elsewhere. There is no 

 reason, therefcne, to assume that the cave sliellscame from 

 any great distance. That they had been collected locally 

 for the extraction of the purple dye seems evident from 

 their broken ccjndition, and in this connection it is of 

 interest also to note that in the same caves Triton shells 

 were found which had every apfjearance of having been 



■"^ Lovell, ■• Edihle Biiiisli Molusca." 1SS4, p. 205. (juotini^ .\ufrire.s 

 •'Travels.-' 



*" ./. Besiiiei'. op. ci/., p. 775. 



'- 1887, p. 14. 



■*" Mosso, " Dawn of Mccliu-riancan Ci\ ilir-alion.'' 1910, p. 20y. 



