Sarra

, a town of Phœnicia, the same as Tyre . It receives its name from a small shell-fish of the same name which was found in the neighbourhood, and with whose blood garments were dyed. Hence came the epithet of sarranus , so often applied to Tyrian colours, as well as to the inhabitants of the colonies of the Tyrians, particularly Carthage. Silius Italic us , bk. 6 , li. 662 ; bk. 13 , li. 205 .— Virgil , Georgics , bk. 2 , li. 506 .— Festus , Lexicon of Festus .