A team of marine archaeologists and divers was exploring a 2,600-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Sicily when they chanced upon 39 ingots of 'orichalcum,' a mythical metal Plato believed to have been exclusively forged in Atlantis.

The sunken ship that dates back to the 6th century BC was thought to be from Greece, and was sunk 1,000 feet from the shore by a powerful storm. The ingots they discovered are like nothing ever seen in the modern world.

These are just two of the lumps of 'orichalcum’ found on the seabed off the coast of Sicily.

Sebastiano Tusa / DailyMail

Sebastiano Tusa / DailyMail

It was said that Cadmus, an alchemist from Greek and Phoenician myth, invented the 'orichalcum,’ an element highly sought after. In the ancient world, the value of orichalcum was second only to gold. The ingots are made of copper, zinc, lead, iron, and nickel.

Wikipedia

Orichalcum was used to decorate the halls of the Temple of Poseidon on the mythical kingdom of Atlantis.

Wikipedia

If the ingots found by the divers are really the mythical orichalcum, then it means scientists are getting closer and closer to solving the mystery of the lost kingdom of Atlantis.

DailyMail

These are the divers, led by professor Sebastiano Tusa (centre), who found the ingots on a 2,600-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Gela in Sicily.

Sebastiano Tusa / DailyMail