The Rarest Blue: The Remarkable Story of an Ancient Color Lost to History and Rediscovered

by Baruch Sterman

For centuries, blue and purple dyed fabrics ranked among the ancient world s most desirable objects, commanding many times their weight in gold. Few people knew their secrets, carefully guarding the valuable knowledge, and strict laws regulated their production and use. The Rarest Blue tells the incredible story of tekhelet , the elusive sky-blue color mentioned throughout the Bible. Minoans discovered it; Phoenicians stole it; Roman emperors revered it; and Jews obeying a commandment to affix a thread of it to their garments risked their lives for it. But as the Roman Empire dissolved, the color vanished. Then, in the nineteenth century, a marine biologist marveled as yellow snail guts smeared on a fisherman s shirt turned blue. But what had caused this incredible transformation? Meanwhile, a Hasidic master obsessed with the ancient technique posited that the source of the dye was no snail but a squid. Bitter controversy divided European Jews until a brilliant rabbi proved one side wrong. But had an unscrupulous chemist deceived them? In this richly illustrated book, Baruch Sterman brilliantly recounts the amazing story of this sacred dye that changed the color of history.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Art, Science, Cultural, Judaism, Microhistory

328 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Baruch Sterman is co-founder of the Ptil Tekhelet Association. Baruch received his doctorate in Physics from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where he developed a CO2 laser used for both medical and industrial purposes. He received his Masters in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University. For the past fifteen years, Baruch has been a leading executive in the High-Tech sector in Israel, specializing in the fields of telecommunications and computer security. He holds several patents in optics, voice technology, and computer security.

Baruch was instrumental in developing the modern techniques for dyeing tekhelet used by the Ptil Tekhelet Association today. These techniques take into account the halakhic, as well as the physical and chemical requirements needed for mass production. He has published numerous articles on the scientific and halakhic aspects of Tekhelet, and writes extensively on the topic of Science and Torah in general.

Baruch lives in Efrat, Israel with his wife Judy and their seven children.

Reviews

[Jennybeast · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, so I was thinking this would talk a lot about the Murex dye. And it does, extensively, sort of. It talks a lot more about Jewish history and the attempts over time to dye a particular religious garment a particular shade of blue -- and that's interesting, but I think it would be more compelling if I was interested in obscure schisms in the Jewish faith and had studied the Talmud and was concerned about what this dye means to the people of that faith.

I am interested in the murex dye -- in the history, the technical information on how to effectively use it, the modern state of the Murex population and what impact the dye trade has on it... and all that's in the book, if you have the time and patience to wade through the rest of what is really quite a scholarly dissertation.

[Brenda Clough · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little confusingly organized, but an excellent dive into a fascinating subject.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rarest Blue is a fascinating story of how the ancient method of making tekhelet, a sky blue dye, was long lost to history. Over the centuries many tried to find this source, and some claimed to have "found it" But others claimed no they hadn't. It is said to have been produced by the sea creature the "ḥillazon".

Its body is similar to the sea.
Its form is like a fish.
It comes up once in 70 years,
With its "blood" one dyes tekhelet,
Therefore: It is expensive.
The fishers of the ḥillazon are from Haifa to the ladder of Tyre
The color of the ḥillazon dye is identical to that produced from the indigo dye
The shell of the ḥillazon grows together with it
It is an invertebrate

Jews were commanded by God in the Masoretic Text (Jewish Bible) in (Numbers 15:37–41) as: ”37. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 38. Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them that they shall make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments, throughout their generations, and they shall affix a thread of sky blue[8] [wool] on the fringe of each corner. 39. This shall be fringes for you, and when you see it, you will remember all the commandments of the Lord to perform them, and you shall not wander after your hearts and after your eyes after which you are going astray. 40. So that you shall remember and perform all My commandments and you shall be holy to your God. 41. I am the Lord, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Lord, your God.” thus you can imagine the importance of rediscovering this ancient method.

The author,Baruch Sterman, gives much detail about the history and rediscovery of tekhelet, perhaps more than some readers would care to know, but I found the entire book very informative and learned much about the rarest blue.

[Steven Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the neatest books on the color indigo. Who ever thought to take a sea snail and crush a small organ from it to make indigo? I did not know that indigo has antibacterial properties, which is why in Japan they used indigo on diapers that kept the fabric from breaking down and reduced the smell. Indigo was used on mummies, and in the original blue jeans to make the cloth heartier.

[Martin Rundkvist · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written but completely uncritical in its attitude to Hasidic Judaism, the historicity of Old Testament events and the importance of even the most nonsensical of Biblical commandments.

[Kressel Housman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve ever seen an Orthodox Jewish man, you may have noticed that he was wearing something over his shirt with knotted strings attached. Those strings are called tzitzis, and according to Torah command, they are supposed to include one string of techeiles, which is translated as turquoise or sky blue. These days, almost everyone wears white because the tradition for producing the exact shade of techeiles has been lost, but throughout our history, there have been a handful of Jews dedicated to discovering the missing tradition. This book recounts it, and so interweaves history and science with the author’s personal anecdotes, rather like a Bill Bryson book, except instead of humor, it has Torah. As an Orthodox Jew, I found it very interesting, but I can’t imagine that it would captivate anyone whose life is not already steeped in Torah observance.

The Talmud teaches that the dye that created techeiles came from a sea animal called a hilazon. In the 19th century, Rabbi Gershon Henoch Leiner concluded that the hilazon was actually the cuttlefish, and there are still Jews who create dye from it to this day. However, the author of this book makes a much more compelling case for the murex snail. The journey toward that discovery takes some interesting, serendipitous turns that I will not spoil because it’s the best part of the book. The science, on the other hand, went right over my head, though I suppose there may be readers who have the opposite experience. In any case, from a narrative perspective, I think the author should have told the story of the scuba trip that got him to join the search at the beginning, not the end, but I can understand that he wanted the book to be about techeiles, not him.

In short, this is a technical book written to reach the layperson. Sometimes it succeeds, and sometimes it doesn’t, but certainly for Orthodox Jews, it’s a worthwhile read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contained exactly what I’d hoped it would: a mixture of modern and ancient history that touched on Jewish history/observances, dyes and the dying process, and the persuasive argument for the true rediscovery of the long lost biblical color, tekhelet. To others, be aware that this book is mainly one regarding Jewish history; if this isn’t your area of interest, you may find it more interesting to read a synopsis of the information presented in the book.

The author did a wonderful job making his argument for murex snails (and against cuttlefish ink) and seemed to effectively counter most of the arguments against murex dye being true tekhelet. While I enjoyed the book, I definitely felt like it read more like a textbook than some nonfiction history books do and included tangents that seemed to be present only to lengthen the book, but most times, these tangents fit within the narrative the author was trying to build and the information did not come off as too excessive.

[Deborah Blank · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am so glad my friend leant me this little book. it covers science, folklore, dying, religion, archeology history and more. I learnt more than i expected and enjoyed following the journey of finding this specific indigo colour from a specific species of snail - spanning centuries- that has so many far reaching uses across the world. sometimes a little confusingly organised but i would recommend reading this micro history, especially for anyone who is fascinated by halacha

[Carmen Imes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part scientific discovery, part history of the world, part religious drama -- to read this book is an interdisciplinary journey to the crossroads between chemistry, marine biology, botany, Jewish law, textile production, archaeology, and the history of ancient warfare and industry. It's hard to imagine a more wide-ranging investigation. The authors turn the most arcane scholarship into an adventure of epic proportions!

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a Facebook ad for this book, and as usual the ad algorithm knows me better than I know myself, so I checked this book out from the library. I do love a thorough micro history, and this book has everything: biology, history, physics, archaeology, religion, and more!

[Lionel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un livre très complet, et très clair, sur un sujet pointu : mériterait une traduction en français!

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly easy to read but still incredibly informative. The details are fantastic and often felt like was was there with the author going through the rediscovery of the dye.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect balance of adventure, Jewish history, Torah, science, and art! I thought the author weaved an intricate pattern with the way he shared about Tkehelet!

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

In today's world there is a plethora of products readily accessible to the consumer and, in the case of fabrics those choices come in a multitude of colors and hues. In early civilization that was not the case and most people wore clothing the natural color of the wool or cotton from which those items were made. Blue was a very rare color seen in clothing. This book details how a blue dyeing process used in the religious garments of the Jewish faith was lost to history and was rediscovered. A result of years of scholarly research by several individuals and some serendipitous events, the forgotten skill is once again being used. There are interesting scientific facts about the color blue itself and some of the more in depth descriptions of the dyeing process and the chemistry behind it are explained in a way that someone, like me, without knowledge of that industry, could understand.

[Kathy Duffy]

Fascinating and a must read for all fiber loving folks. This traces the history of the earliest of the blue dyes through historical and religious clues that date back through BCE and how this world reknown blue dye vanished into the historical mists. Beginning with the Caananites who became the Phoenicians the blue and purple dye favored by Roman Emperors and used in special celebration clothing by the Jewish Rabbis when performing rites in the Temple, it's origin and how to collect the dye was lost through numerous invasions and persecutions.

Modern scholars search for the dye is documented along with the difference between the Murex (snail) based dye and indigo and even woad. The Murex dye does not fade, there are examples of pieces that are more than a thousand years old still vibrantly colored.

This book was a fascinating look at dying fabric in historic times, how it was considered magical. The author also covers the mythology, folk lore, scientific research,color theory, ancient linguistics, they even looks at the psychological implications of the color we call Blue. There is also a good deal of information on the Jewish rites, Tzitzit and Tekhelet strings and the reason they have a place in their religion and in the Talmud.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an artist I was always aware of the spectrums of blue. The use of lapis (an expensive gem)in oil paintings. The Virgin Mary always wearing a blue garment symbolizing her importance by surrounding her in the most expensive color produced. But, I had never considered the color blue and it's place in history thousands of years ago. I started this book thinking that its prime focus would be the Tallis but it really delved into the history of the Romans, Greeks and Phoenicians. The whole dyeing history and the importance to all the societies. Most societies adopted it for nobel purposes, Judaism elevated for religious purposes. The blue dye is mentioned in Numbers but, that is only a very small portion of the book. I found this book fasinating!

[Janta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: in the ebook copy of this that I read, the text itself only went to 76% of the book; the remainder was notes and so on.

Talk about a microhistory! This book is about people (including the author) trying to find a lost historical secret: the source and method to make a specific shade of blue dye for use in Jewish religious garments. I think this may be the most focused "microhistory" I've ever read, and I'm a fan of that subgenre, so I've read quite a few. I liked this book -- the author's style is pretty readable, and though there's a chapter or two where things get scientific (e.g., discussions of chemical bonds and reactions, and of how color vision actually works), in all it was a good read.

[Linnae · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was probably more like 2.5 stars. I enjoyed learning about the blue of the faithful Jews, and the way this color took the world by storm back in the day. Also, some fascinating side stories on how it was harvested, etc.

I can't bump it up to a full 3 stars because it put me to sleep no less than 3 times. For whatever reason, I could only get through a couple of chapters at a time before I just had to rest my eyes for a minute...or ten.

Any chance of this one coming out as a juvenile book, with lots of pictures? I'm certain I could stay awake for that--and I would even check it out and read it to my kids. Great info, just [yawn] a little hard to get through.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for the dye history, but it's certainly much more than that. While I had known that there used to be a purple dye made from snails, what I didn't know was that the same dye was used to make a blue, too. And that this blue was used to color one strand of the tzitzit, and was in fact a commandment. But over time, this knowledge of this dye disappeared, and so did the use of a strand of blue because the law said it had to be this particular blue dye. It's this religious history that I had no idea about and what made the story more interesting.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I casually picked this up because I like so many blue colors. Along with learning about how sea snails were used to dye wool blue beginning with the Minoans, I was very interested in learning about Jewish laws about wearing sky blue thread in the tassels on prayer shawls. Sounds obscure, but if I had a high school chemistry teacher who presented this story and the science, I might have stuck with the subject. Another surprising non-fiction book. I must admit to skimming over some of the gamma ray info at the very end. Sterman teaches much about his faith as well as his curiosity.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive telling of the search for tekhelet done in an enjoyable a very readable way. Easy to read. Easy to understand.

[Bookwyrmgyrl]

I found this book fun to read as it mixes history with the modern day "adventure" of real people studying a real scientific process. It was small in size and very approachable, with plenty of pictures and diagrams.

[Ben Pashkoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not know - Lots of interesting information, maybe too much. A wide variety of aspects on Blue, also maybe too much. Seemed to kip around too much without getting to any major points.I would have liked to give it a 5 star, but.....

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating Story well told. The author weaves together both ancient and modern history, chemistry and biology to create a deeper understanding of this old yet new color. You will never look at the color blue the same way again.

[Martin Herbordt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talmud, biochemistry, and ancient history. Everybody loves this book, but I guess I already knew too much about Phoenicians and thought it way too drawn out; would have been better as extended article.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out really really interesting.. But then devolves into arguments about Jewish holy law and how the opposing side is so OBVIOUSLY wrong. Pass!

[Steve Gross · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of tchelet, the blue thread in tzitzit, with many sidelines.