Do you know why the color purple was once considered the color of royalty? In ancient times, purple dye came from a tiny Mediterranean sea snail called murex. It took thousands of snails to produce just a small amount of dye, making purple garments extremely rare and costly. Only emperors, kings, and high-ranking nobles could afford them, and in some places, wearing purple without permission was punishable by law. Over time, purple became permanently tied to power, wealth, and prestige. Today, s