In the steppes north of the Black Sea. These finds testified to the existence of close connections between Olbia (in the storyline of Realms of Gold and the natives) as early as the sixth Century B.C.
Diadem in the shape of a broad band ornamented with flowers and rosettes alternating with figurines of birds. There is an amber inlay in the central rosette. The band has wire loops at the ends.
Diadem in the shape of a broad band ornamented with flowers and rosettes alternating with figurines of birds. There is an amber inlay in the central rosette. The band has wire loops at the ends.
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| Gold. 66.8 cm. long, 7.2 cm. wide; Kelermes--Kuban .VII-VI c. B.C. |
The legend of Jason and the Argonaut, and the search for the Golden Fleece is an example of reality evolving into myth. The Roman historian, Strabo(1st century B.C.) writes about these villages by the Kuban River in Ukraine, where gold collectors used sheepskins to trap the fine gold particles in the rivers and streams flowing from the Caucasus Mountains. The skins could then be dried and beaten to shake out the gold dust. This practice continued well into the 20th century. I think we can safely conclude that the Argonauts sailed to Colchis, a kingdom on the Black Sea, searching for gold. They most likely heard about this wondrous process from other seafarers and traders.
The Greeks and Etruscans traded with the Celtic tribes along the Rhone and its tributaries, and from archaeological remains we know they were very much influenced by Hellenic and Etruscan cultures. Homer's date is circa 800 B.C, contemporary with the Celts of Latisco, now Mont Lassois. I often envision these Celts sitting rapt around their fires, listening to the bards of the Hellenes, reciting their tales of Jason and the Argonauts as they built their ships, preparing to set out to find the Golden Fleece,