RETRACTED: A modern field investigation of the mythical “gold sands” of the ancient Colchis Kingdom and “Golden Fleece” phenomena

Okrostsvaridze, Avtandil; Gagnidze, Nona; Akimidze, Karlo

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.07.064

Cited by 7 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Though the Caucasus mountains evolved from the same tectonic processes they differ in their geology from the Colchian plain: the Greater Caucasus in the north is a polycyclic, folded-nappe formation (Okrostsvaridze et al, 2016) and consists of a pre-alpine crystalline basement complex and a younger cover of Mesozoic to Neogene ophiolites, (marine) sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The Lesser Caucasus inherits additional andesitic pyroclastica and effusiva (Mitchell and Westaway, 1999), as well as granite and gneiss intrusions (Yılmaz et al, 2013).…”

Section: Physical Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the oldest accounts is the mythical journey of Jason and the Argonauts, a small band of heroes named after their ship Argo, who embarked for the Kingdom of Colchis on their quest to find the "Golden Fleece". Described in Homer's Odyssey (eighth-seventh century BCE), as background of Euripides' play Medea (fifth century BCE) and as subject of the epic poem Argonautica (Greek: Aργ oναυτ ικά) by Apollonius Rhodius (third century BCE), this myth is one of the most important narratives of Antiquity (Okrostsvaridze et al, 2016). Besides its adventurous story of Jason and his comrades, the saga reflects the impressions of Mycenaean Greeks from their first voyages to the Colchis in the late second millennium BCE (Okrostsvaridze et al, 2016).…”

Section: Human Occupationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Described in Homer's Odyssey (eighth-seventh century BCE), as background of Euripides' play Medea (fifth century BCE) and as subject of the epic poem Argonautica (Greek: Aργ oναυτ ικά) by Apollonius Rhodius (third century BCE), this myth is one of the most important narratives of Antiquity (Okrostsvaridze et al, 2016). Besides its adventurous story of Jason and his comrades, the saga reflects the impressions of Mycenaean Greeks from their first voyages to the Colchis in the late second millennium BCE (Okrostsvaridze et al, 2016). In the literature, opinions differ as to whether the Golden Fleece represents sheep skins which were used for the extraction of placer gold, as described by Strabo (Book XIII), Pliny the Elder and Appian of Alexandria, who all praise the gold and silver richness of the Colchian rivers (Okrostsvaridze et al, 2016), or if it symbolizes the wealth of Colchis in general (Braund, 1994).…”

Section: Human Occupationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides its adventurous story of Jason and his comrades, the saga reflects the impressions of Mycenaean Greeks from their first voyages to the Colchis in the late second millennium BCE (Okrostsvaridze et al, 2016). In the literature, opinions differ as to whether the Golden Fleece represents sheep skins which were used for the extraction of placer gold, as described by Strabo (Book XIII), Pliny the Elder and Appian of Alexandria, who all praise the gold and silver richness of the Colchian rivers (Okrostsvaridze et al, 2016), or if it symbolizes the wealth of Colchis in general (Braund, 1994).…”

Section: Human Occupationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their spatial concentration can be explained by the occurrence of chalcopyrite, the dominant copper-bearing mineral in quartz veins or iron oxide matrices (Gugushvili Erb-Satullo et al, 2014). Chalcopyrite outcrops due to tectonic faults and erosion at the Adjara-Trialeti Thrust Belt (Okrostsvaridze et al, 2016).…”

Section: Research Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coastal lowland and floodplain evolution along the lower reaches of the Supsa River (western Georgia)

Laermanns

May

Kelterbaum

et al. 2019

E&G Quaternary Sci. J.

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In the southernmost part of the Colchian plain (Georgia), the Supsa and Rioni rivers represent important catchments for reconstructing Holocene landscape changes. Using granulometric methods, geochemical analyses and radiocarbon dating, we demonstrate that significant palaeoenvironmental changes have taken place in the surroundings of the Supsa fan since at least 4000 BCE. The initial foothill fan accumulation was prolonged by delta plain progradation. Due to continued fluvial sediment supply, mainly from the Rioni, the lagoon silted up and extended peat bogs formed east of the beach ridge complex. The Supsa fan first prograded northwards (since the third millennium BCE) and later shifted westwards, eventually following an avulsion of the Rioni. While Supsa deposits remain limited to the area of the fan and the modern estuary, the alluvial fines of the Rioni dominate the surrounding areas. The relative sea-level (RSL) index points of the region suggest a gradual RSL rise from ∼ −9 m between 4000 and 3500 BCE to −3/−2 m below the modern sea level in the second half of the first millennium BCE, the period during which Greek colonization and Colchian settlements are attested by archaeological remains. Kurzfassung:Im südlichsten Teil der kolchischen Tiefebene (Georgien) stellen die Einzugsgebiete von Rioni und Supsa wichtige Areale zur Rekonstruktion des holozänen Landschaftswandels dar. Mittels granulometrischer und geochemischer Analysen sowie Radiokohlenstoffdatierungen lässt sich der signifikante Landschaftswandel im Bereich des Supsa-Schwemmfächers seit etwa 4000 v. Chr. nachweisen. Das Areal wurde von einer Sandbarre vom offenen Meer getrennt, hinter der sich große Stillwasserbereiche bildeten. Der anhaltende fluviale Sedimenteintrag, hauptsächlich durch den Rioni, begünstigte die allmähliche Verlandung und die Entstehung von Torfmooren. Gleichzeitig baute sich -zunächst nach Norden (etwa ab dem 3. Jahrtausend v. Chr.) und später durch den Rioni nach Westen abgelenkt -der Schwemmfächer des Supsa vor. Während sich die Supsa-Ablagerungen im Wesentlichen auf den Schwemmfächer und die aktuelle Mündung beschränken, dominieren die feinkörnigen Ablagerungen des Rioni die Umgebung. Die Indexpunkte für den relativen Meeresspiegel deuten auf einen anhaltenden Anstieg des Meeres hin, ausgehend von etwa −9 m unter dem Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the Deutsche Quartärvereinigung (DEUQUA) e.V. 120 H. Laermanns et al.: Coastal lowland and floodplain evolution along the Supsa River heutigen Niveau um 4000 bis 3500 v. Chr. auf −3 bis −2 m in der zweiten Hälfte des 1. Jahrtausends v. Chr. Für den letztgenannten Zeitraum sind kolchische und griechische Siedlungen durch archäologische Funde in der Umgebung der Supsa-Mündung belegt.

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Section: Physical Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Human Occupationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Human Occupationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Human Occupationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Coastal lowland and floodplain evolution along the lower reaches of the Supsa River (western Georgia)

Laermanns

May

Kelterbaum

et al. 2019

E&G Quaternary Sci. J.

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The dawn and rise of antimony use in the southern Caucasus

Dillis

Degryse

2022

Sci. China Earth Sci.

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Antimony (Sb) was utilised over several millennia as the prime material to opacify or decolour glass and glazes, as well as an accompanying element in copper (Cu) alloys. Metallic antimony objects are rare, and mostly confined to Chalcolithic Central Italy and to the first millennia BCE in the southern Caucasus. The innovation of antimony use in metallurgy seems to be confined to the southern Caucasus, and the invention of it might be even more specifically situated in the Great Caucasus. Preexisting knowledge of mining set the pathway for the initial stage of antimonial copper alloys in the first half of the third millennium BCE and for metallic antimony ornaments in the second half of the third millennium BCE. However, the first major expansion of antimony in the metallurgy of the Racha-Lechkumi district in the southern Caucasus (present-day Georgia) started around 1700 BCE, while its spreading in glassmaking occurred in the Late Bronze Age (LBA). Explanations that place antimony adoption within its broader social context are favoured over those that consider material or geological properties in isolation. A recurring theme is the importance of comparative analysis, both geographically and between the different pyrotechnologies, including the precious metals and glass industries, to explore how social, political, climatic and economic conditions affected adoption and innovation patterns. All these factors are considered to explain why the extraction of antimony blossomed in the Late Bronze Age in the southern Caucasus and to reconstruct a framework of exploitation, distribution/trade and use of antimony in the Caucasus and its neighbouring regions in the south and east.

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The Ebb and Flow of Copper and Iron Smelting in the South Caucasus

2017

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The Eastern Black Sea region of the South Caucasus contains an extremely rich record of metallurgical remains that is poorly known outside of the former Soviet Union. Large numbers of relatively small smelting sites dot the foothill regions, forming a dispersed, yet large-scale metallurgical landscape. New fieldwork in the region has followed up on earlier Soviet period research, relocating and reanalyzing previously known sites and identifying new ones. This paper presents a series of 33 radiocarbon (14C) dates from copper and iron smelting sites in this region. Dates from copper smelting sites suggest that copper smelting occurred over a shorter and more intense period than previously thought, between about 1300 and 800 BC. Dates from newly discovered iron smelting sites place these activities in two episodes during the Classical-Hellenistic period (ca. 500–200 BC) and the High Medieval period (ca. AD 1050–1400). The dramatic expansion in bronze production immediately prior to the adoption of iron mirrors patterns in other regions of Europe and the Near East, and has implications for understanding the economic contexts in which iron emerged. While the new dates from iron smelting sites provide only an initial outline of the iron production chronology in the region, they represent an important step for resolving outstanding issues from previous investigations.

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RETRACTED: A modern field investigation of the mythical “gold sands” of the ancient Colchis Kingdom and “Golden Fleece” phenomena

Cited by 7 publications

References 12 publications

Coastal lowland and floodplain evolution along the lower reaches of the Supsa River (western Georgia)

Coastal lowland and floodplain evolution along the lower reaches of the Supsa River (western Georgia)

The dawn and rise of antimony use in the southern Caucasus

The Ebb and Flow of Copper and Iron Smelting in the South Caucasus

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