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Orichalcum

 
PlanetaryStorm
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User ID: 844058
Portugal
12/18/2009 07:17 PM
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Orichalcum
I was here, talking with a friend about energy sources, and something came to my mind.
The stories about Atlantis and Orichalcum.
That alloy is supposed to be a simple fusion between metals (gold, tin and copper?) but I remember reading a few interesting stories about "strange utilizations" for it, like electricity creation...

Just for the sake of posting it, here goes the Wikipedia entry about it. Not too good tho.
If someone have more and interesting information/articles about it, please post it. :)

Orichalcum is a metal mentioned in several ancient writings, most notably the story of Atlantis as recounted in the Critias dialogue, recorded by Plato. According to Critias, orichalcum was considered second only to gold in value, and was found and mined in many parts of Atlantis in ancient times. By the time of Critias, however, it was known only by name. In numismatics, orichalcum is the golden-colored bronze alloy used for the sestertius and dupondius coins.

The name derives from the Greek ορείχαλκος,​ oreichalkos (from όρος, oros, mountain and χαλκός, chalkos, copper or bronze), meaning "mountain copper" or "mountain metal". The Romans transliterated "orichalcum" as "aurichalcum", which was thought to literally mean "gold copper". It has been alternatively held to be a gold/copper alloy, a copper-tin or copper-zinc brass, or a metal no longer known. The Andean alloy tumbaga fits the same description, being a gold/copper alloy. However, in Vergil's Aeneid it was mentioned that the breastplate of Turnus was "stiff with gold and white orachalc" and it has been theorised that it is a mix of gold and silver, though it is not known for certain what orichalcum was.

In later years, "orichalcum" was used to describe the sulfide mineral chalcopyrite or brass. However, these are difficult to reconcile with the text of Critias, because he states that the metal was "only a name" by his time, while brass and chalcopyrite continued to be very important through the time of Plato until today. For that reason, other authors on the subject conclude that orichalcum is either the gold-copper alloy tumbaga, or possibly amber.

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