So, this is kinda weird, but general colors didn’t have names for a long time. Like in Greek texts by Homer he describes the water color as dark wine color because the name “blue” wasn’t a word. So it’s possible when they named a “red onion” purple wasn’t a color and considered a shade of red.
Also as others have said purple was the color of royalty and they didn’t want an association.
So, this is kinda weird, but general colors didn’t have names for a long time. Like in Greek texts by Homer he describes the water color as dark wine color because the name “blue” wasn’t a word. So it’s possible when they named a “red onion” purple wasn’t a color and considered a shade of red.
Also as others have said purple was the color of royalty and they didn’t want an association.
It’s kind of wild when you learn that words for blue are relatively new in human language.
I started thinking that it kind of makes sense as blue is not a common naturally occurring color and then I remembered the sky.
A lot of old writing refers to the sky and the sea as green.
What color did they say the grass was?
Also green.
That’s funky
There are blue flowers
You mean those green flowers?
-ancient Greek guy (probably)
Cant have pesants eating royal onion now can we?