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I am easily distractible and very stubborn
Sep. 8th, 2021 12:14 amA short while back, in the course of writing, I found myself wondering what the total price of a toga picta was. Not easily finding this information needed for a throwaway line, anyone not a dumbass would have let it go.
Reader, I am a dumbass.
After spending Too Long looking up things like Diocletian's Edict of Maximum Prices, working out conversions rates -- and yes, I did laugh like the secret twelve year old I am when I found out that Roman currency is based on the as, plural asses -- and learning far more about the price of silver in Colophon than I even thought was possible to learn, I landed on five different ways of calculating the price of a toga picta.
Including one involving the current going price of Tyrian purple because YES Tyrian purple exists today! The manufacturing is most likely different as the original recipe is lost afaik and they use a different species of Murex, but this is as close as you're going to be able to buy (unless you're one of of the lucky few who get their hands on some of Mohammed Ghassen Nouira's products). Or at least some people can buy Tyrian purple in modern times. I do not have the money for anything worth even close to 2.663,76 € per gram.
I'll spare you the calculations and go straight to the bottom line: it averages out at a total of about 3 million euros per toga, 807k of which is for the gold and 2,123M is for the Tyrian purple dyed cloth.
In conclusion, to put words on the way my cat looks at me every time I do anything with clothing: "if you can't make your own fur, storebought is fine?"
Reader, I am a dumbass.
After spending Too Long looking up things like Diocletian's Edict of Maximum Prices, working out conversions rates -- and yes, I did laugh like the secret twelve year old I am when I found out that Roman currency is based on the as, plural asses -- and learning far more about the price of silver in Colophon than I even thought was possible to learn, I landed on five different ways of calculating the price of a toga picta.
Including one involving the current going price of Tyrian purple because YES Tyrian purple exists today! The manufacturing is most likely different as the original recipe is lost afaik and they use a different species of Murex, but this is as close as you're going to be able to buy (unless you're one of of the lucky few who get their hands on some of Mohammed Ghassen Nouira's products). Or at least some people can buy Tyrian purple in modern times. I do not have the money for anything worth even close to 2.663,76 € per gram.
I'll spare you the calculations and go straight to the bottom line: it averages out at a total of about 3 million euros per toga, 807k of which is for the gold and 2,123M is for the Tyrian purple dyed cloth.
In conclusion, to put words on the way my cat looks at me every time I do anything with clothing: "if you can't make your own fur, storebought is fine?"