What year was Amethyst discovered by the greeks?

Question

I've been researching this topic for quite a while now and all I could pull out was that it was discovered by the greeks. If no specific date, would amethyst most likely have been discovered in the "Ancient Greece" era?

Answer 1

This is Greek Mythology

The origin of amethyst name and even explanation for some of it's healing properties have been founded in the Greek mythology surrounding this semi-precious stone. Amethyst's origin resides with the god Dionysus (Bacchus) and the goddess Diana. Dionysus, the god of wine, celebration, intoxication and joviality, found insult by a mortal who had refused him acknowledgement. Enraged with anger Dionysus vowed to unleash his fury upon all mortals who did not partake in his gifts of wine and drunkenness. He immediately spotted a young maiden named Amethyst who was pure and unfamiliar with being intoxicated. The unsuspecting young virgin, who was on her way to pay homage to the goddess Diana, was detained by the wrathful god. Dionysus summoned two fiercely voracious tigers to devour the youth and sat back with his wine to watch. Amethyst cried out to Diana. When Diana saw what was about to transpire she quickly transformed the young mortal into a glimmering pure white stone (quartz) to protect her from the vicious wrath of Dionysus. Moved with pity Dionysus realized the ruthlessness of his actions and began to weep with sorrow. As the tears dripped into his goblet Dionysus collapsed and the tear-tainted wine ran out onto the stone from the tipped cup. The white stone then absorbed the color from the wine creating the stone now called amethyst.

Answer 2

Amethyst was used by the ancient Greeks but they were not the discoverers. Many artifacts carved from amethyst by the ancient Egyptians long before the Greek civilization arose have been found. In my personal collection I have a small stone tool chipped out of amethyst quartz by early man some 25,000 ago so clearly the Greeks came onto the amethyst scene quite late in its history.
Amethyst is in fact a quite common form of quartz and it turns up all over the world so it is hardly surprising that humans have used it since prehistoric times.

Answer 3

I think it may have been earlier than that..

Moses described it as a symbol of the Spirit of God in the official robes of the High Priest of the Jews.

And I don't believe the Bible is true, but the person who wrote the account of Moses knew about amethysts to begin with and he wrote that account some time before the 2nd Century BCE.

Sorry to have confused you further!

I can try and keep searching for the Greek discovery..but I can't find WHEN they discovered it, just that they did, and saw it as a reason to drink more :P