2024-02-27 17:44:16
Excavations carried out on the coast of the island of Hœdic have uncovered a site on which the Gauls exploited millions of molluscs 2,250 years ago to extract the purple dye. MY Daire, CNRS, CReAAH
Systematic analyzes carried out after excavations on the small island of Hœdic in Morbihan have discovered significant production of a rare and very expensive dye, 2,250 years ago.
From Carnac to Croisic, the small island of Hœdic is visible on the horizon. On one of the escarpments near its coasts, shells discarded by men reveal a forgotten history of the Atlantic coast. Archaeological excavations, between 2004 and 2010, showed that the Gauls harvested salt there. Further analysis of all the sediments reveals another activity. Molluscs were exploited here by the millions, 2,250 years ago, over three centuries, to extract purple dye, a dye for textiles of inestimable value.
« It is exceptional to systematically excavate a coastal site », explains archaeologist Catherine Dupont, who co-signed this discovery in a special issue of the magazine Paleopublished in December 2023. The CNRS research director studies ancient shells at the Creaah laboratory (research center in archaeology, archaeosciences, history) at the University of Rennes. « Sieving large volumes of sediment, more…
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