Siphnos was known for silver and gold in ancient Greece, but in modern times iron-manga-nese ores have been mined with no indication of precious metals. Three areas on the south-eastern coast of the island, about 10 kilometers from the ancient lead-silver mines, were studied; the ore samples collected were analyzed for copper, silver, gold, and gold/iron ratio. Gold measured up to 915 parts per million at one site, but the others had very low levels. The richest ores may have been completely extracted, but the most probable conclusion is that gold was rare in the Cyclades Islands even in prehistoric times. -- AATA