Colchis is today's Georgia. In those days, as scientists believe, the inhabitants of the Caucasus had a rather interesting way to mine gold in the rivers.
Flax mirage
They pulled the skin of the slain ram, tied the ends to the bars, and lowered this device into the water. Particles of gold, which rose from the bottom of the current, settled on the skin. Then it was dried and the precious metal was collected. In fact, the skin with particles of gold in the sun was an amazing sight. Many foreigners who saw this probably created a myth about the purpose of Jason's journey.
But it is unlikely that the Greeks financed a rather dangerous journey just for the sake of a few grams of gold, which they eventually scraped off the skin of the killed animal. It seems that it was about a more expensive item, which was valued above the yellow metal. And what was the most expensive item at that time? It turns out linen fabric.
The history of flax goes back to the distant past. The mummies of the pharaohs of Egypt were wrapped in linen bandages, which have survived to this day thanks to not only special balms, but also the properties of flax: linen bandages, in which the mummies were wrapped, retained their strength and elasticity through the millennia.
The shroud in which the body of Jesus was wrapped was linen.
During the Trojan War, thin linen yarn cost about 5-6 times more than the most precious metal, and the finest fabric and products made from it - 30-35 times more expensive.
Pursuit of beauty
From Herodotus, Strabo and Pliny the Elder, we learn that in Ancient Greece, flax grew unsightly, the fiber from it turned out to be low-grade, the fabrics are rough. And nevertheless, the need for flax growing was enormous, because all free women of Hellas loved to dress in linen fabrics, and the nobles preferred, moreover, only thin and expensive ones, for which the Greeks bought a huge amount of flax in Egypt.
Linen was highly valued in ancient times, the cost of a linen shirt was determined by weight: a product was placed on one side of the scales, and gold on the other.
And the quality of the flax grown in Colchis in ancient times was beyond praise.
Black Sea linen fiber, yarn and the finest fabrics were transported to all countries of the Ancient East. And in the myth itself, it is not gold mining that is described, but the most ancient technology of flax lobe on earth. They take a sheaf of flax straw - an inexpensive thing - and immerse it in the river. After a certain time, when the straw turns into a trust, the sheaf is taken out, and after appropriate processing it turns into the finest flax fiber, the production secret of which was strictly classified.
This version is also supported by the following episode from the myth, in which Jason hides a stolen fleece under his shirt.
Just try to sneak a heavy lamb skin covered with golden grains under a thin robe. But linen is possible.
But is it worth building a special ship, clicking heroes from all over Greece in order to bring home one roll of even very expensive linen? Of course not. But in order to get it for a country where they only know how to make a rough canvas, the secret of making a valuable thin one - yes.
But for this you need not a canvas, but a person who knows the technology of its manufacture.
Therefore, it is no coincidence that the name of the royal daughter Medea appears. Indeed, in ancient times, the most valuable technological operations that make up the country's wealth were usually carried out in temples. And their recipes were kept secret and kept by the priests. And it seems that Medea was just such a priestess of the temple of Hecate, initiated into the secrets of making the finest flax. It was for her abduction that the Argonauts expedition was organized. And their leader Jason - a young handsome hero - easily coped with his mission as a ladies' man. He pretended to love Medea, and she abandoned her homeland for him, became the murderer of her brother, and most importantly, she took with her the secret of making thin linen.
The only thing that the ancient Greeks could not foresee is that the climate of Greece did not allow the cultivation of the varieties of flax necessary for the manufacture of the finest linen.
Magazine: Mysteries of History No. 3, Irina Erofeeva