This paper looks at three terms denoting the colour “red”, viz. Armenian karmir, the obviously corresponding Sogdian word karmīr, and karmīl “scarlet” found in the Hebrew Bible. It will first briefly discuss the etymology of these words (summarising an argument made elsewhere) and argue that the words in question are a technical term for a red dye from Armenia produced from scale insects. We will then attempt to show that historical data and chemical analysis of extant historical textiles confirm the Armenian red as the relevant dye.