I only recently discovered this video presentation, which gives a rather balanced perspective on ancient color theory:
https://youtu.be/hE4T-pfU5wc
At the 4:00 minute mark the presenter quotes Odyssey 9.465 as describing "purple sheep". Does anyone know where this so-called 'purple' reference is actually from? All I'm seeing in the vicinity of verse 465 is "fine-fleeced sheep (καλλίτριχα μῆλα)" -
Odyssey 9.465-470
πολλὰ περιτροπέοντες ἐλαύνομεν, ὄφρ᾽ ἐπὶ νῆα
ἱκόμεθ᾽. ἀσπάσιοι δὲ φίλοις ἑτάροισι φάνημεν,
οἳ φύγομεν θάνατον, τοὺς δὲ στενάχοντο γοῶντες.
ἀλλ᾽ ἐγὼ οὐκ εἴων, ἀνὰ δ᾽ ὀφρύσι νεῦον ἑκάστῳ,
κλαίειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκέλευσα θοῶς
καλλίτριχα μῆλα
πόλλ᾽ ἐν νηὶ βαλόντας ἐπιπλεῖν ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ.
The baseline assumption of the article I posted earlier is that Homer conflates the color of wine (οἶνοψ) with both the color of the sea (cf. Iliad 23.316 and Odyssey 2.421, 5.132) and the color of oxen (cf. Iliad 13.703 and Odyssey 13.32), and presumably with sheep (citation?).
On another note regarding "blue" - Poseidon does have the epithet, ‘dark-haired’ (κυανοχαίτης) with a form of κυανοῦν. But Zeus is also described in the Iliad 1.528 as having 'dark eyebrows' of presumably the same color (the verb form "κυανέω").
For example, Iliad 13.563:
κυανοχαῖτα Ποσειδάων βιότοιο μεγήρας
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... lJ5mm_kNlc
Later in the Iliad you have a reference to a ‘dark-maned’ stallion that has no association with the sea.
For example, Iliad 20.224:
ἵππῳ δ᾽ εἰσάμενος παρελέξατο κυανοχαίτῃ
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... izUyAY3n64
And again, in Hesiod, you have a ‘dark-maned’ or ‘black-maned’ horse named Arion.
For example, Shield of Heracles 120:
ὣς καὶ νῦν μέγαν ἵππον Ἀρίονα κυανοχαίτην
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... NfgnvBPbp4