What is orichalcum?
Orichalcum is a legendary metal described by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato in his dialogue Critias as mined in Atlantis. Said to be second in value only to gold, it glowed red like fire and adorned the walls and pillars of Atlantis’s temples. Its name comes from a Greek word meaning “mountain copper.”
Orichalcum in games and stories
Because of its image as a “legendary metal,” orichalcum has often appeared in fantasy novels, games and manga as the material of the strongest weapons and armor. In Japan, many people know the name from games.
What was orichalcum really?
In ancient Greek texts, orichalcum is thought to have referred to brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, or a similar copper alloy. In 2015, dozens of metal ingots made mainly of copper and zinc were found in an ancient shipwreck off Sicily, Italy, and were reported as “possibly orichalcum,” drawing attention.
