Sunken treasure: Ancient orichalcum found in Sicilian wreck
The German portal Focus recounts the history of the sunken Greek shipwreck "Gela II" off the coast of Sicily, near Gela, dating back to the 5th century BC. More than 30 years after the vessel's initial discovery, searchers found 86 ingots of a mysterious metal near the ship, which experts associate with the myth of Atlantis.
6:09 PM EDT, November 2, 2024
The "Gela II" wreck was first discovered in the 1980s near Bulala Beach in the city of Gela in southern Sicily. Although such artifacts in the Mediterranean Sea are not unusual, "Gela II" has particularly intrigued archaeologists due to the metal ingots found in the wreck. The discussion centers around orichalcum, which was mentioned by Plato, among others, who compared its value to gold. Moreover, orichalcum is associated with the mythical Atlantis, with stories suggesting that the temples in the sunken city were covered with this material.
The ship carried metal ingots associated with mythical Atlantis
Scientists have been fascinated by the "Gela II" wreck and its contents for years. During previous searches, the orichalcum, which was discovered on the vessel, likely contained 75 to 80 percent copper and up to 20 percent zinc, with trace amounts of nickel, lead, and iron.
"The discovery of orichalcum ingots is significant because nothing similar has ever been found," said Sebastiano Tusa, who was involved in the research, as quoted by the portal Archaeology News. Researchers plan to take a closer look at the wreck and explore what else they might find on board, so they launched a large project recently.
The Office of Cultural and Environmental Heritage Supervision of the Sicily Region Sea reports that rescue work on the "Gela II" wreck has already begun. However, the results of these efforts require patience, as the estimated duration of the work is 270 days. During this time, plans include, among other things, the dismantling and restoration of the boat's wood—these stages will commence the mentioned work.
As a reminder, the "Gela II" ship measured approximately 49 feet long and about 16 feet in width. Besides the metal ingots, helmets, pottery, and personal items of the crew were also found on board the vessel.
