Most archaeologists believe that the majority of gold comes from mines along the Nile River, with some located as far as 800 miles south of Cairo. The Nile River was responsible for transporting gold to many parts of Ancient Egypt. Gold was first discovered in the form of bright yellow nuggets, and it is believed to have been the first metal known to hominids. Gold has been a part of all human cultures due to its shine, natural beauty, malleability, and resistance to tarnishing.
Gold is widely dispersed throughout the geological world, so its discovery occurred in many different places and cultures. Humans have always placed a high value on gold, associating it with power, beauty, and the cultural elite. Gold has been used for ornamental purposes, as well as for idols and vessels. The treasure of “Trojan gold”, which dates back to 2450-2600 BC, is an example of how highly valued gold was in ancient times.
Gold was not yet used as money itself, but rather it was the property of the powerful and well-connected or used for religious purposes. Gold is the easiest metal to work with since it can be produced in a practically pure and workable state. This made it easier for ancient civilizations to use gold for ornamental purposes such as jewelry or for religious purposes such as idols and vessels. The “value” of gold was accepted worldwide, and it still has a universal appeal today.
The Greeks were the first to use gold as money in 550 BC. They mined gold in the Mediterranean and Middle East regions and associated it with water due to its frequent discovery in streams. The Incas referred to gold as “the tears of the sun”. Gold became a commodity and unit of measurable value when it was used as money in ancient Greece.
The Romans also mined gold extensively throughout their empire and improved the science of gold mining by diverting streams of water to mine hydraulically and building locks and long pipes. They used prisoners of war, slaves, and convicts as their main workers. A monetary standard made the world economy possible by allowing people to exchange goods for money. Gold flowed from Ancient Greece and Rome to India in search of spices and to China in search of silk.
At the height of the Roman Empire (A. D. 117-138), some mines were owned by the state while others were privately owned with a royalty paid to the state. Nomads such as the Scythians and Cimmerians also worked in pleasure mines throughout the region.The surviving Greek gold coins and Scythian jewelry show magnificent artistry that demonstrates how highly valued gold was in ancient times.
The concept of money allowed people to exchange goods for money, which made it easier for them to acquire goods they needed or wanted without having to barter or trade goods directly.At present, we continue to talk about the ultra-rich as “rich” like Croesus. Nowadays, in the Turin Museum there is a Papyrus and fragments known as the “Carte des Mines d'Or” which shows gold mines, mining neighborhoods, roads that lead to mines and gold mountains, etc. It is believed that this map portrays the Wadi Fawakhir region where El Sid gold mine is located.Jason and the Argonauts searched for the Golden Fleece around 1200 BC which makes more sense when you realize that this fleece refers to sheepskin fleece used in recovering fine pleasure gold. The first miners used water energy to propel golden sand onto sheepskin which trapped small but heavy gold scales.When dry, this “golden fleece” was tapped gently so that the gold would fall off and be recovered.
We have long since lost the oldest story of human interaction with gold but its association with gods, immortality, wealth itself is common to many cultures around the world.In conclusion, gold has always been a powerful thing due to its shine, natural beauty, malleability, resistance to tarnishing, universal appeal, and association with power, beauty, deities, royalty, wealth etc. It has been used for ornamental purposes such as jewelry or religious purposes such as idols or vessels.The Greeks were the first to use it as money while the Romans improved its mining techniques by diverting streams of water to mine hydraulically and building locks and long pipes. Gold flowed from Ancient Greece and Rome to India in search of spices and China in search of silk.At present we continue to talk about ultra-rich people like Croesus who had access to large amounts of gold.
