Chryse and Argyre

Chryse and Argyre (/ˈkraɪsiː/ and /ˈɑːrdʒəriː/) were legendary islands allegedly located in the Indian Ocean and famed for being composed of gold and silver respectively. Their names derived from the Greek words for these precious metals: chrysos (gold) and argyros (silver).

Pomponius Mela referenced both islands in his writings, noting that "according to the old writers, the first island has golden soil, while the other silver. Furthermore, as appears to be the case, either the name derives from the reality or the tale from the designation."

In his Natural History (Book 6, chapter 23), Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE) wrote about regions near the Indus River: "Beyond the mouth of the Indus are the islands of Chryse and Argyre, abounding in metals, I believe; but as to what some persons have stated, that their soil consists of gold and silver, I am not so willing to believe that."

Gaius Julius Solinus also mentioned these islands in his Polyhistor, stating that many chroniclers described them as so abundant in metals that their very soils consisted of gold and silver.

Several centuries later, Isidore of Seville (c. 560-636) echoed similar information in his encyclopedic Etymologies: "Chryse and Argyre are islands situated in the Indian Ocean, so rich in metal that many people maintain these islands have a surface of gold and silver; whence their names are derived." This description—like much in the Etymologies—was likely borrowed directly from Pliny's Natural History. Both Latin works remained widely read throughout medieval Europe, preserving the legend of the Gold and Silver Islands until the Age of Discovery began.

As European geographical knowledge of the Indian Ocean improved, the supposed location of Chryse and Argyre shifted progressively eastward toward the edges of the known world. By 1492, when Martin Behaim created his Erdapfel globe, the islands were believed to lie near Japan, possibly influenced by Marco Polo's accounts of gold and silver-rich Japan (which he called Cipangu); Behaim is known to have consulted both Pliny and Marco Polo. Another proposed location was the Kingdom of Salakanagara on Java, based on its Sanskrit name meaning "island of silver."

The discovery of the Americas transformed European exploration. Seekers of legendary golden lands now sailed westward toward El Dorado rather than eastward to Cipangu. As Isidore of Seville's works fell from prominence, the islands of Chryse and Argyre gradually disappeared from popular imagination.