Station: [45] Lydia, the Merchant of Purple

So you want to meet this millionaire? Can’t hurt, you say! A world of luxury: the purple trade. These piles here are the remains of thousands of snails. That’s where she stored the fabrics dyed with purple: parchment here, wool there, cotton over there, and in the back room is the wild silk and mussel silk. She ships as far as Rome. You have to get her to tell you how the dye is extracted. The purple snails have the gland that secretes the color pigment removed while they’re still alive, until the animal dies in agony. How many snails do you need for 10 grams? Line them up one right behind the other, and line up so many in a row that you could walk along them for two hours—then you’ll have as many as you need for 10 grams! One kilo of purple is worth about 2 million euros!