DYEING. 
substances being still found on the walls 
of their early built temples, on the sides of 
their catacombs, and on the coverings of 
their mummies ; and it may be fairly infer- 
red, from their producing such fine'colours 
on these substances, that they must have 
known how to do so on other substances, 
and in other manners ; besides which, 
Pliny expressly mentians, (Hist. Nat. 
Lib. 35. chap. 2.) that the Egj'ptians had a 
mode of dyeing, which from his description, 
was vei-y like that which we use for colour- 
ing printed linens, as the stuffs were im- 
mersed in vats, where they received various 
colours, probably after having been impreg- 
nated with different mordants. 
Among the Greeks, dyeing was but little 
practised; but tlie Tyrians, who may be 
called their neighbours, were, at a very 
early period, acquainted with the method 
of producing the beautiful tint of purple, 
for which they were so long famous ; from 
the Tyrians the art proceeded to the 
Greeks, and from them to the Romans. 
The ancients also obtained from the coc- 
cus, now known by the name of kermes, 
a colour which was almost as highly es- 
teemed as the purple, and which was some- 
times mixed with it. See Coccus. 
There is reason to think it was not tilt 
the time of Alexander, that the Greeks at- 
tempted materially to improve the black, 
blue, yellow, and green dyes ; which it is 
probable they learned the means of effect- 
ing from tlie natives of Asia, with which 
the conquests of Alexander rendered them 
familiar, and among some of whom, parti- 
cularly the Indians, the art of dyeing fine 
colours w'as known from the earliest anti- 
quity. But as the art of dyeing has not 
proceeded to us directly from the Indians, 
it is sufficient to note this circumstance, in 
tracing its progress in countries more adja- 
cent to our own. 
The qualities of the colours used by the 
ancients, may be judged of by the. sub- 
stances employed in making them ; of which 
M. Biscoff, who has minutely examined 
the subject, enumerates the following in- 
gredients, in addition to the coccus and 
purple shell fish : 
1. Alum; but this it is probable the an- 
cients were unacquainted with in its pre- 
sent state of purity. 
2. Alkanet, which Saidas says was used 
by women as a paint. 
3. The blood of birds, which was used 
among the Jews. 
4. Tlie mens ; that of Crete was prefer- 
red, and was generally employed as a 
ground for valuable colours. 
5. Broom. 
6. The violet ; from which the Gauls pre- 
pared a colour that resembled one kind of 
purple. 
7 . Lotos medicago ai'borea, snail trefoil ; 
the bark was used in dyeing skins, and the 
root in dyeing wool. 
8. The bark of the walnut tree, and the 
peel of the shell. 
9. Madder ; there is no certainty whether 
the ancients used the same species with us, 
or another root of the same tribe. 
10. Woad; but we do not know that the 
ancients used the same preparation of it 
which we do. 
Our acquisitions of dyeing materials, es- 
pecially since the discovery of America, 
give us such a decided superiority over the 
ancients in this respect, that we probably 
have no cause to regret the loss of their 
methods, even in the instance of their cele- 
brated purple, which it may be questioned 
if we do not equal in beauty with a purple, 
prepared from otlier much cheaper mate- 
rials. 
The kermes affords a colour which was 
almost as highly esteemed by the ancients 
as the purple, and we probably know how 
to employ the kermes to greater advantage 
than they did, as we possess alum in a state 
of purity, which tlicy knew not how to ob- 
tain, with w'hich the stuff is prepared to re- 
ceive a more durable and beautiful colour ; 
yet our dyers have almost entirely discon- 
tinued the use of it, because they can ob- 
tain from cochineal a colour beyond all 
comparison more beautiful. 
The ancients were also unacquainted with 
that useful substance, soap, which gives us 
a superiority in scouring, and some parts 
of the art of dyeing ; instead of it they 
used two species of plants, one called radi- 
cula by Pliny, and striithian by the Greeks, 
which some think to be our saponaria, 
soap -wort; and the other being a species 
of poppy, according to Pliny : some of the 
bolar earths were likewise employed for the 
same purpose. 
From America we have acquired several 
substances, which have been found useful 
in dyeing ; namely, cochineal, brasil-wood, 
and anotta. But above all we are indebted 
for the superiority of our colours, to our 
preparations of alum, and the solution of 
tin, which give so much brilliancy to many 
of our dyes. 
The Venetians, who derived much 
