Orichalcum is a legendary 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. This article is about metallic materials. ... For other uses, see Atlantis (disambiguation). ... Critias, a dialogue of Platos, speaks about a variety of subjects. ... For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ...

Instances of orichalcum

Orichalcum is first mentioned in the 7th century BC by Hesiod and in the homeric hymn dedicated to Aphrodite, dated to the 630s. The 7th century is the period from 601 - 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... Roman bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now identified by some as possibly Hesiod Hesiod (Hesiodos, ) was an early Greek poet and rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer, with whom Hesiod is often paired, have been considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived... The anonymous Homeric Hymns are a collection of ancient Greek hymns. ... The Birth of Venus, (detail) by Sandro Botticelli, 1485 For other uses, see Aphrodite (disambiguation). ...

According to Critias, recorded by Plato, the three outer walls of the Temple to Poseidon and Cleito on Atlantis were clad respectively with brass, tin, and the third, which encompassed the whole citadel, "flashed with the red light of orichalcum." The interior walls, pillars and floors of the temple were completely covered in orichalcum, and the roof was variegated with gold, silver, and orichalcum. In the center of the temple stood a pillar of orichalcum, on which the laws of Poseidon and records of the first princes after Poseidon were inscribed. (Crit. 116–119) Critias, a dialogue of Platos, speaks about a variety of subjects. ... For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Atlantis (disambiguation). ... Brazen redirects here. ... This article is about the metallic chemical element. ...

Orichalcum is also mentioned in the Antiquities of the Jews - Book XI by Josephus, who stated that the vessels in the Temple of Solomon were made of orichalcum. Pliny the Elder points out that the metal has lost currency due to the mines being exhausted. Pseudo-Aristotle in De mirabilibus auscultationibus describes orichalcum as a shining metal obtained during the smelting of copper with the addition of "calmia", a kind of earth formerly found on the shores of the Black Sea.^[1] Antiquities of the Jews (Antiquitates Judaicae in Latin) was a work published by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus about 93-94 (cf. ... A fanciful representation of Flavius Josephus, in an engraving in William Whistons translation of his works Josephus (37 – sometime after 100 CE),[1] who became known, in his capacity as a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus,[2] was a 1st-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and... Solomons Temple was the first Jewish temple in Jerusalem which functioned as a religious focal point for worship and the sacrifices known as the korbanot in ancient Judaism. ... Pliny the Elder: an imaginative 19th Century portrait. ... Pseudo-Aristotle is a general cognomen for authors of philosophical or medical treatises who attributed their work to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, or whose work was later attributed to him by others. ... Zinc oxide is a chemical compound with formula ZnO. It is nearly insoluble in water but soluble in acids or alkalis. ...

In more modern times, orichalcum was discussed by Sir Francis Bacon in The New Atlantis. The Golden Plates of Mormonism, although not called orichalcum, were reported by Joseph Smith's brother William to be a mixture of copper and gold, and have "the appearance of gold." Sir Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans (January 22, 1561 - April 9, 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, and essayist. ... Columbus Santa Maria, by Eertvelt The New Atlantis is a utopian novel written by Francis Bacon in 1626. ... An 1893 engraving of Joseph Smith receiving the Golden Plates and the Urim and Thummim from the angel Moroni. ... For more general information about religious denominations that follow the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Joseph Smith redirects here. ...

What is orichalcum?

The term 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 to man. 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. Actually, it is not known for certain what orichalcum was. In later years, "orichalcum" was used to describe the sulphide 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. GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... An alloy is a homogeneous hybrid of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, and where the resulting material has metallic properties. ... For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... This article is about the metallic chemical element. ... For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... General Name, symbol, number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 12, 4, d Appearance bluish pale gray Standard atomic weight 65. ... Brazen redirects here. ... This article is about metallic materials. ... This article is about the mountain system in South America. ... Tumbaga two-headed figurine from Colombia, circa 600-1600 a. ... Aeneas flees burning Troy, Federico Barocci, 1598 Galleria Borghese, Rome The Aeneid (IPA English pronunciation: ; in Latin Aeneis, pronounced — the title is Greek in form: genitive case Aeneidos) is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BC (between 29 and 19 BC) that tells the legendary story... In Vergils Aeneid , Turnus was the King of the Rutuli, and the chief antagonist of the hero Aeneas. ... Chalcopyrite (sometimes called peacock pyrite) is a copper iron sulfide mineral that crystallizes in the tetragonal system. ... Brazen redirects here. ... For other uses, see Plato (disambiguation). ... Tumbaga two-headed figurine from Colombia, circa 600-1600 a. ... For other uses, see Amber (disambiguation). ...

Numismatics

In numismatics, orichalcum is the golden-colored bronze alloy used for the sestertius and dupondius coins. It was considered more valuable than copper, of which the as coin was made. Some scientist believe that the orichalcum could have been used for jewelry for poor people as it appeared to look like gold. Numismatics is the scientific study of currency and its history in all its varied forms. ... This article is about the metal alloy. ... An alloy is a homogeneous hybrid of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, and where the resulting material has metallic properties. ... The sestertius was an ancient Roman coin. ... The dupondius (Latin two-pounder) was a bronze coin used during the Roman Empire and Roman Republic valued at 2 asses (1/2 of a sestertius or 1/8 of a denarius). ... The As (plural Asses) was a bronze, and later copper, coin used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire, named after the homonymous weight unit (12 unciae = ounces), but not immune to weight depreciation. ...

References in Popular Culture

Orichalcum is present in many video and tabletop role-playing games, Age of Mythology: The Titans Expansion, Final Fantasy, the Star Ocean series, Shadowrun, Conspiracy X, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the Harvest Moon series, the Kingdom Hearts series, the Dragon Quest series, Riviera: The Promised Land, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Exalted, Maple Story and FlyFF. Tabletop role-playing games are a particular form of role-playing game. ... Age of Mythology (commonly abbreviated as AoM), is a popular mythology-based, real-time strategy computer game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. ... This article is about the Final Fantasy franchise. ... Star Ocean is a franchise of role-playing video games developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix (originally Enix). ... Shadowrun is a cyberpunk-urban fantasy cross-genre role-playing game, set 63 years in the future,[1]following a great cataclysm that has brought use of magic back to the world, just as it begins to embrace the marvels (and dangers) of technologies such as cyberspace, omnipresent computer networks... Conspiracy X is a role-playing game published by Eden Studios, Inc. ... This article or section should include material from Jenna. ... Harvest Moon on the SNES Harvest Moon (牧場物語 in Japanese, pronounced Bokujou Monogatari, Farm Story) is the name of a series of farm simulation/role-playing video games produced by Victor Interactive Software (acquired by Marvelous Interactive in 2002). ... This article contains information on the first Kingdom Hearts video game. ... Dragon Quest logo Dragon Quest ), published as Dragon Warrior in North America until the 2005 release of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, is a series of role-playing games produced by Enix (now Square Enix). ... Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis is a graphical adventure game, originally released in 1992 and published by LucasArts. ... Exalted is a role-playing game published by White Wolf Publishing. ... This article is about the original game for Windows. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ...

The metal is also present in various Japanese video games and manga, such as Black Cat, Slayers and Spriggan, although it is often spelled differently owing to variations in Japanese pronunciation. This article is about the comics published in East Asian countries. ... Serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump Original run 2000 – 2004 No. ... For other uses, see Slayer (disambiguation). ... Serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday Komik Remaja (Defunct) Original run 1989 – 1996 No. ...

See also

• Corinthian bronze
• Hepatizon

Corinthian bronze, also called Corinthian brass or æs Corinthiacum, was a highly valuable metal alloy in classical antiquity. ... Hepatizon (from , the Greek for liver), also known as black Corinthian bronze, was a highly valuable metal alloy in classical antiquity. ...

References

1. ^ Nicholas F. Zhirov. Atlantis: Atlantology: Basic Problems. The Minerva Group, Inc, 2001. ISBN 0-89875-591-3