| Screen capture from video of a murex mollusk. (YouTube) A celebrated royal purple dye popular among ancient kings and priests was already produced on an industrial scale in the Land of Israel in biblical times, new research has shown. The special dye is mentioned multiple times in the Hebrew Bible and other historical sources as sought after by elites across the Mediterranean, in two variations: purple (argaman in Hebrew) or blue (tchelet). Now, a group of researchers has documented how the material was produced for hundreds of years on Israel's Carmel Coast, at the site of Tel Shiqmona, a new paper published in the prestigious PLOS ONE journal on Wednesday has revealed. There, for the first time, the scholars have also identified the tools used for production. "Findings of purple dye from the Iron Age [1200-586 BCE] are extremely rare," Dr. Golan Shalvi from the University of Haifa, the lead author of the paper, told The Times of Israel over the phone. "Tel Shiqmona stands out because it yielded roughly twice as many artifacts directly connected to the industry as all other known sites combined." A small archaeological mound situated on the outskirts of the modern city of Haifa, Tel Shiqmona has been excavated multiple times since the 1960s, revealing remains spanning from the Late Bronze Age (1500-1150 BCE) to the Byzantine period (4th-7th century CE). However, the findings from the most ancient periods were never properly published. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address By signing up, you agree to the terms In cooperation with other scholars, Shalvi conducted additional excavations to clarify the site's stratigraphy and re-examined the evidence retrieved by previous expeditions. A purple-dye large-scale production facility operated at Tel Shiqmona for centuries during the Iron Age. A picture of the excavations by Shalvi, Gilboa and Pinsky in 2023. (Golan Shalvi) As a result, the researchers found evidence connected to the production of the purple dye dating as early as 1,100 BCE and throughout the 6th century BCE. These are exactly the years in which many of the narratives included in the Bible are said to have taken place. In 586 BCE, for example, the Babylonian conquest completely destroyed the regional economy and Jerusalem's First Temple. "In the past, the assumption was that the first large-scale production facilities of purple dye were only established in Roman times, around the 1st century CE," another author, Prof. Ayelet Gilboa from the University of Haifa, told The Times of Israel over the phone. "Tel Shiqmona offers evidence that already in the 9th century BCE, purple dye was produced at an industrial scale. It was not just one individual dyeing a garment for a king." Advertisement Stone tools with purple dye residue found at Tel Shiqmona, on Israel's Carmel Coast. According to a new paper published in PLOS ONE on April 16, 2025, a large-scale production facility operated at the site for centuries during the Iron Age. (Maria Bukin/PLOS ONE) A rocky start The dye is extracted from the glands of three types of murex snails. According to the researchers, Tel Shiqmona was likely selected as the site for the facility because its rocky seabed provides an ideal habitat for marine life, particularly the snails essential for producing the dye, ensuring a steady and accessible supply. Aerial view of the archaeological site of Tel Shiqmona, on Israel's Carmel Coast. (Michael Eisenberg) | 
