Orichalcum

Oriharukon (Greek ὀρείχαλκος from ὄρος Óros "mountain" and χαλκός Chalkos " ore ", especially copper or bronze, so " Bergerz " ) is first mentioned in Hesiod attributed Epyllion " Shield of Heracles ", which made ​​of this metal among other greaves be. Special interest aroused the Oriharukon, as Plato also mentions him in his dialogue Critias and there as " fiery shimmering metal " ( Critias 116c ) describes. It is the material, appreciated the people of Atlantis " for the gold " most ( Critias 114e ) and thus its royal castle, and therein lies the temple was covered and decorated ( Critias 116c - 116e ). However Plato did not specify precisely what substance so that was meant and where he came from.

Probably brass

Generally it is assumed under Oriharukon brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, which was rare in early antiquity and could therefore have been attributed to Plato the Atlanteans. Brass seems to coincide with Plato's description in appearance. Against brass speaks, that it is not degradable ore but an alloy and actually found wider use only in Roman times. However, it was obviously in some regions previously in use. Thus, the Greek geographer Strabo wrote ( circa 63 BC to 26 AD): "Close to Andeira there is a stone, which [ ... ] secretes zinc, and this with the addition of copper results in the ' mix ', as they say, which is called by some Oriharukon. " ( Strabo, Geography, XIII, 56). Andeira was located 80 kilometers southeast of Troy. In Palestine brass has already been established in the Late Bronze Age.

Pausanias uses the term Oriharukon about 500 years after Plato once in his " perihegesis ". Since he does not explain the term and otherwise no further word loses about Oriharukon seems in his time (about AD 150 ) to have been generally known what the brass thesis, which is represented in most dictionaries is based.

Modern Greek Oriharukon also means brass, rare bronze, which supports the assumption, it might have meant in ancient times the same. John Chadwick translated 1990, written in Linear B ka- ko kha Ancient Greek equivalent volume ( l) ko ( s ) as " bronze ".

The ancient Romans adopted the term as Latin Aurichalkum and designated so that a brass -like copper -zinc alloy of gold similar color, which was attached to more value than pure copper and was used to mint coins. Since the coinage reform of Augustus of 27.3 grams vast Sesterz and his half piece Dupondius of this alloy in the ratio of about four parts copper to one part zinc were produced. Under Philip the Arab, the zinc proportion decreased to up to five percent.

Other hypotheses

Since Plato's text allows in terms of Oriharukon no clear identification, there are at almost any hypothesis about the location of Atlantis, a corresponding to Oriharukon. So believed the German archaeologist Jürgen Spanuth, the Atlantis at Helgoland suspected Oriharukon call amber. Siegfried Schoppe of the University of Hamburg holds against it for Obsidian, according to his hypothesis was Atlantis in the Black Sea basin. However, obsidian is inappropriate, in order " to coat the Temple"; Amber may be used in the molten state, such as paint.

Other interpretations call pyrite and other sulfur-containing ores.

Term extension in alchemy

In alchemy, and various magical systems is meant by Orichalkum various fabulous alloys depending on the source of gold, silver, copper and mercury or other raw materials. The Orichalkum be supernatural powers attributed to it can be found imaginative names like elves gold for it, and also links to a mythical Atlantis interpreted like to be pulled, but all this is very speculative and convoluted and holds scientific verification was not.

Using the name

The word Oriharukon is also called by other names usually as rare metal:

The name in video games

In many video games, especially in role-playing, it was designated as a real metal. A few examples:

• Star Ocean: The Second Story for PlayStation
• Star Ocean: Till the End of Time for PlayStation 2
• Lineage 2 for the PC - as Oriharukon Ore
• Shining Force III Part 3 ( output only in Japan) for the Sega Saturn
• In Sci -Fi browser game battle galaxy as Orihalcon
• In many Final Fantasy games
• In the game Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 as Orihalcon
• In the game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis by LucasArts for Amiga and PC ( DOS) Orichalcum
• In the extension of the game Age of Mythology for PC
• In Titan Quest
• In the game Devil May Cry as Orihalcon
• In the game Flyff Online as Orikalkum
• In the game Age of Conan for PC
• In the game Aion as Orichalcum
• In addon ruler of Atlantis: Poseidon as orichalc
• In the game Atlantica Online as Oriharukon
• In the game Golden Sun - The Lost Age for Game Boy Advance as Orichalcum
• In the game Tales of Symphonia II - Nintendo Wii for collecting, synthesizing and Sell
• Game Loki the French Cyanide Studio as Orichalcum for upgrading of objects, grouped as a divine material, however, shown with black ground color and bluish sheen
• In the game Dragon Quest as a shiny silver ore lumps
• In the game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as Orichalcum
• In the game Guild Wars 2 as Orichalcum
• In the game Terraria as Orichalcum
• In the game Harvest Moon as orichalc

Anime

• In the anime series Nadia - The Secret of Blue Water as "synthetic Orichalcum "
• In the anime series Black Cat as " Orichalcum "
• In the anime movie Spriggan as " Orihalcon "
• In the anime series Slayers as " Orihalcon "
• In the anime series Zettai Karen Children as " Orichalcon "

Pen -and- paper role-playing games

• In Shadowrun Earthdawn as well as in the most important alchemical metal
• In Exalted as the magical material of the Solars.
• In The Dark Eye under the name Orichalcum as a magical metal that is found in mussels.
• Orichalka in Nephilim represents the ultimate threat to the magical beings, since it is the essence, the "Ka " destroyed.

Fiction

• In Daughter of the Sky Disc of Wolfgang hollow leg a shimmering pearl " Oraichalkos " of very high value is described.
• Orichalchum is called as part of the treasure in Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and - the - Grey Mouse Ling- story Der Schatz im Walde ( The Jewels in the Forest ).