… methods other than the use of the Murex Mollusk were explored to find purple. There was found a recipe from the 3rd Century for a “Stockholm Papyrus” that made a purplish color. The problem was in the Byzantium Empire, anyone but the royals were forbidden to wear purple under the penalty of death.
The search for new purples ended suddenly in favor of a safer color.
(image: Emperor Justinian in Tyrinean Purple reserved only for the most royal of royals)