Rare imperial purple cloth found in Roman infant burials in York

Posted on Monday 11 May 2026

Tyrian purple dye has been found on Roman textile remains recovered from York’s gypsum burials. Detailed analysis of the materials by chemists from the University of York’s Centre of Excellence in Mass Spectrometry is the first evidence of Tyrian purple from this uniquely large collection of gypsum burials found in York and the surrounding locale. It represents one of only a handful of examples of the dye, a rare and expensive commodity at the time, to have been found in the UK.  Even more amazing, the discovery was made on two infant burials and demonstrates the wealth the families involved.

Dr Jackie Mosely and Dr Jennifer Wakefield who performed the expert analysis using mass spectrometric methods are part of a multidisciplinary team of researchers working on the Seeing the Dead project, exploring funerary custom in 3rd and 4th centuries of Roman Yorkshire,  led by Professor Maureen Carroll in the Department of Archaeology and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.