Orichalcum Ingots of Atlantis
600–300 BCE
In 2015, 39 ingots of a mysterious metal were recovered from a 2,600-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Sicily. Analysis identified them as orichalcum — the legendary metal described by Plato as covering the walls and floors of Atlantis. The ingots are a copper-zinc-lead alloy (a form of brass) that was highly prized in the ancient world and mentioned by Plato, Hesiod, and Virgil.