Scientists reveal the secret of the unique metal orichalcum from Atlantis

The legendary metal orichalcum, often mentioned in ancient texts, may not be a fiction. Researchers have found ingots of this metal in the Mediterranean Sea, which sheds light on its nature. The name "orichalcum" comes from the Greek for "mountain copper".

One of the most famous references to this metal is by Plato, who described it in the legend of Atlantis. In his dialog Critias, Plato says that the mythical citadel of Atlantis was decorated with walls, columns, and floors covered with orichalcum, which had a characteristic reddish hue. Plato calls this metal "more expensive than anything except gold". IfScience writes about it.

Oryhalcum is also mentioned in the works of Cicero and Pliny the Elder, written in the first century AD. Due to descriptions of its color, scientists have long assumed that orichalcum was a type of brass, an alloy of copper and zinc. However, modern archaeological research has clarified its composition.

In 2014, divers discovered 40 ingots of the metal alloy in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of the ancient Greek city of Gela in Sicily. Two years later, local authorities discovered another 47 ingots just 10 meters from the first find. Both caches came from the same ship that sank about 2,500 years ago. Analysis showed that these ingots are a copper-zinc alloy that matches the descriptions of orichalcum.

In addition, there is evidence of the use of orichalcum in coins from the Roman Empire. Most Roman coins were made of gold, silver, bronze, or copper. However, a 2019 study using a scanning electron microscope showed that coins minted after the reforms of Augustus (23 BC) and Nero (63-64 AD) contained up to 30% zinc, indicating the use of a copper-zinc alloy.

Thus, orichalcum is probably an ancient term for a certain type of brass, an alloy of copper and zinc.

Earlier, scientists also found deep "sunken worlds" in the Earth's mantle under the Pacific Ocean, which are places where ancient tectonic plates that sank beneath the planet's surface were absorbed.

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