Spartan Forum Crimson

Greek Spartiátēs, of Sparta — adjectival suffix referring to the Lacedaemonian warrior city. As a color modifier, spartan implies a saturated-and-disciplined-and-formal quality, the deep-rich color of Spartan-hoplite military-class crimson-and-bronze armor-and-cloak. Sits at the bold-and-formal end of the grid, parallel to austere and stern in tone.

Latin forum, open-space-of-Roman-city. As a color modifier, forum implies a Roman-and-civic-meeting-square quality, the visual register of Roman-Forum-and-Pompeii-Forum hand-built civic-meeting-square forum-and-basilica-and-rostrum Republican-and-Imperial-Roman architectural surfaces under Roman-Forum-and-Pompeii civic-meeting-square light. Sits at the modifier-and-architecture end of the grid, parallel to agora and stoa in usage.

From the Old Spanish cremesin, itself from the Arabic qirmiz — the kermes scale insect, dried and ground into a brilliant carmine dye prized in the medieval Mediterranean. For centuries the most expensive red on a draper's shelf, reserved for cardinals, kings, and the cloth that gave English the word crimson. Cooler than scarlet, deeper than rose; the color of pomegranate seeds and a serious occasion.