admin One of the greatest mysteries of our civilization is perhaps the disappearance of Atlantis about 11,000 years ago. The Greek philosopher Plato mentioned the existence of Atlantis in several of his writings, and today it remains one of the greatest “lost cities” in history.
Some stories and theories suggest that Atlantis was a highly technologically advanced civilization even in our time. Some believe that the Atlanteans did not disappear under the sea but sought to travel to other planets through their spacecraft, while others believe that the power and corruption of the Atlantean civilization caused a nuclear war that completely changed the geography of the Earth.
Other than the theories of its disappearance, no one knows the exact location of Atlantis but Plato described its location before the “Pillars of Hercules”, in relation to the “Rock of Gibraltar” and North Africa. Many expeditions and investigations have tried to discover the true location, but no one has been able to prove its existence.
But Atlantis was no longer a myth when a team of marine archaeologists found 39 “Orichalcum (Orichalcum)” ingots from a ship that sank 2,600 years ago 1,000 meters off the coast of Gela, south of Sicily. According to the ancient Greeks, “Orichalcum is a metal that can only be found in one place:
the lost city of Atlantis.
Professor Sebastiano Tusa, an archaeologist with the Office of Marine Surveillance in Sicily, claims that the gold bars they discovered in the wreckage of the sunken ship are likely the mythical red metal known as orichalcum. Experts believe that the Atlantis ingots were shipped from Gela, south of Sicily, to Greece or Asia Minor. The metal-carrying ship was probably hit by a great storm and sunk as it was about to enter the Sicilian port.
“The sinking started in the first half of the 6th century,” Tusa told the media. “The ship is just 1,000 meters from Gela, at a depth of 3 meters. Nothing like it has ever been found. We know about orichalcum from ancient texts and some decorative objects.
Orichalcum, the metal of Atlantis, has an ancient and mysterious history. For centuries, experts have debated the composition and origin of this metal. According to ancient Greek texts, orichalcum was invented by Cadmus, a figure in Greek mythology. The Greek philosopher Plato mentioned Orichalcum as a mythical metal in the Critias dialogue. Plato describes the city of Atlantis as being illuminated by the “flashing red light of Orichalcum”. Plato states that “the metal, second in value to gold, was mined from Atlantis to cover all the surfaces of the temple of Poseidon”.
Most experts agree that Orichalcum is a copper-like alloy obtained by bonding. It is a process in which zinc ore, carbon and metallic copper are combined in a crucible. When analyzed by X-ray fluorescence, the 39 Atlantis ingots were found to be an alloy consisting of 75-80% copper, 14-20% zinc and lower percentages of nickel, lead and iron.
“The find confirms that a century after its founding in 689 BC, Gela grew to become a city rich with workshops of craftsmen specialized in the production of precious artefacts,” Tusa commented on the importance of the discovery.
So, are the Orichalcum ingots proof of the existence of Atlantis? Although for many people, this discovery proves the existence of the mythical city of Atlantis. Enrico Mattievich, professor, writer and former physicist at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, said that the ingots are made of brass while the real Orichalcum is composed of made of copper, gold and silver, and was created in Peru.
Briefly mentioned in just two of Plato’s works, Critias and Timaeus, many people strongly believe in the existence of Atlantis. As we discussed earlier, the Atlanteans were considered a highly advanced society that challenged the “Greek gods” and as a result disappeared to the ocean floor due to sea level rise or massive tsunamis. Since Atlantis was first mentioned in ancient Greece, humans have been trying to locate it, searching all over the world, from the Mediterranean, across the ice caps at the poles to South Pacific.
However, until now, Atlantis has remained hidden, with no evidence that it ever existed. Are the Orichalcum ingots discovered near Sicily the real proof of Atlantis’ existence? And if not, why was a metal rarely used in the ancient world so beautiful? Maybe one day we will know the answer. But when archaeologists discover Orichalcum, the search for Atlantis will continue.
