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The common name of the dyestuff, Tyrian purple, derives from the habitat of the mollusks, which the Phoenicians purportedly began harvesting in the 16th century B.C. in the city-state of Tyre in present-day Lebanon.

For most of history, dyestuffs were derived only from natural materials like plants, minerals and invertebrates, offering people a narrow range of colors from which to choose.

Spanish chronicles of the conquest marvel at the vivid colors of cochineal dyestuff for sale in the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, and the first shipment soon left for Spain.

“We lay the dyestuff over ice, and as it melts, the dye soaks into the carpet and is sealed.”

Red cloth in this period was dyed using four main dyestuffs - madder, kermes, cochineal and lichen dyes.