Quantcast
  Portal logo
Login/Register
Bactrian Gold Treasure from Afghanistan, coming soon....
/gemstones/king-natural-history/page_344 - 2
 

Sucoinum, Amber

Sucoinum, Amber Page of 453 Topazius, Peridot Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
SUCCINUM.
335
Pliny (xxxvi. 68) and by Petronius (Trimalchios Supper) as a secret discovered in the reign of Tiberius, was some such pre­paration of Amber made up into vases. Electrum also denoted a particular alloy of gold. " Wherever," says Pliny (xxxiii. 23), " the native gold contains one-fifth of silver, it is called Elec-trum. This occurs in grains in the gold-washings (Canaliensi) : it is also made artificially by the addition of silver ; but if the proportion of the latter exceed one-fifth, the alloy does not stand the hammer. Electrum was anciently held in esteem, as Homer testifies, who makes the palace of Menelaus resplendent with gold, electrum, silver, and ivory (Od. iv. 73)." But ηΧβκτρον in this passage of Homer more probably signifies amber, as it cer­tainly does in xv. 460. Sophocles, however, employs the word in the later sense (Antig. 1037), coupling the electrum from Sardis with the gold of India. By a singular coincidence, the primitive gold coinage of the Lydians is in electrum. It would seem they knew not the art (a difficult process) to separate the silver from the native gold of the Pactolus washings. " Lindus in Ehodes possesses a temple of Minerva, in which Helen has dedicated a cup made of electrum, tradition says, the model of one of her own breasts. It is the peculiarity of electrum (the metal) to be more lustrous than silver by lamplight. The native kind also detects the presence of poison ; for then an appearance like the rainbow flies to and fro in the vessel, attended by the crack­ling of flame, and gives warning by this double indication."
Sucoinum, Amber Page of 453 Topazius, Peridot
Suggested Illustrations
Other Chapters you may find useful
Other Books on this topic
bullet Tag
This Page