The Golden Fleece Paradox: Why did gold dissappear for centuries from ancient societies in the Caucasus? (original) (raw)

Issue 112 CurrentWorldArChAeology LEFT A depiction of Jason and the Golden Fleece on a 4th-century BC vessel from south Italy. The myth of Jason and the Argonauts was celebrated by the Greeks and the Romans. It is attested as early as the 8th century BC, but one of the most substantial surviving versions, the Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes, dates to the 3rd century BC. How does the legendary wealth of Jason's destination, Colchis, compare to archaeological finds from the region? OPPOSITE TOP Map of the Caucasus showing ore deposits and sites with gold dating to 4000-500 BC. BOTTOM Gold deposits in the mountains of the western Caucasus (including Svaneti, the region pictured here) may have been the source of gold for the artefacts found in the adjacent Colchis lowlands. The Golden Fleece paradox Why did gold disappear for centuries from ancient societies in the Caucasus? The Caucasus were home to some of the world's earliest and most proficient goldsmiths. Despite an association between this metal and the mountains that became so strong it was woven into mythology, gold artefacts more or less disappear from a large part of the region for a period of some seven centuries. Nathaniel Erb-Satullo investigates why.