Why Don't Country Flags Use The Color Purple? | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR
Throughout history, purple was an expensive color due to the rarity and cost of the dye used to produce it, making it inaccessible for most countries to include on their national flags.
Key Insights
- 💜 Purple was never used on national flags in history because it was extremely expensive, even worth more than gold. This rarity and cost contributed to its association with royalty, power, and wealth.
- 💰 To produce purple dye, fabric traders needed over 10,000 snails from the Tyre region of the Mediterranean. This made purple dye inaccessible to all except wealthy rulers in ancient Rome, Egypt, and Persia.
- 👑 Purple came to represent spirituality and holiness, as the ancient emperors, kings, and queens who wore it were often seen as gods or descendants of the gods.
- 💸 Roman Emperor Aurelian's wife was even denied a purple shawl because it cost three times its weight in gold, equivalent to $56,000 today.
- 🎨 In 1856, an English chemist accidentally created a synthetic purple dye, making it more affordable for everyone. This led to the decline of purple as an elite status symbol.
- 🌍 Since 1900, a few countries have included purple in their national flags, breaking the tradition of no purple on flags.
- 🔍 This insight highlights how the cost and rarity of a color can drastically shape its symbolism and cultural associations over time.
- 📚 Simple questions like why no country used purple on their flag have fascinating answers rooted in history, economics, and culture.
Transcript
there are 196 countries in the world today and virtually none of them have purple on their national flag. Throughout history, purple was never used to represent a kingdom civilization or Empire. So what's wrong with purple? It's such a popular color today. why would no country use it in their flag? the answer is really quite simple purple was just ... Read More
Questions & Answers
Q: Why didn't any countries have purple on their flags throughout history?
Countries didn't have purple on their flags because purple dye was extremely expensive, worth more than its weight in gold until the 1800s. Only wealthy rulers could afford to buy and wear the color, making it associated with the elite.
Q: What was the origin of the purple dye used in ancient times?
The purple dye used in ancient times came from a small sea snail found in the Phoenician trading city of Tyre, now in modern-day Lebanon. Fabric traders obtained the dye from the Tyre region, and it required more than 10,000 snails to create just one gram of dye.
Q: Why did purple become associated with royalty and spirituality?
Purple became associated with royalty and spirituality because only wealthy rulers could afford to buy and wear the color. It was seen as a symbol of power, wealth, and holiness since ancient emperors, kings, and queens were often thought of as gods or descendants of the gods when they wore purple.
Q: How did the accessibility of purple change in the 19th century?
In the 19th century, an English chemist accidentally created a synthetic purple compound while attempting to synthesize quinine. This led to the mass production of purple dye, making it more affordable and accessible to the lower classes, causing the status symbol of purple to fade away.
Q: Are there any countries that include purple on their national flags now?
Since 1900, a few national flags have opted to include purple, but it is still relatively rare. The use of purple on national flags is not as widespread as other colors, even though the dye became more accessible and affordable.
Summary & Key Takeaways
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Purple has been associated with royalty, power, and wealth for centuries but was never used on national flags due to its high cost before the 1800s.
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The dye used to make purple initially came from a small sea snail found in the Mediterranean, requiring thousands of snails to produce just one gram of dye.
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In 1856, a synthetic purple compound was accidentally created, making purple dye more accessible and affordable, leading to some countries including it on their flags.
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