History of Gold
|
Gold has been depicted as the essence of evil and greed. Yet, these are
human traits, not mineral. In fact, when we reward human endeavor and the
highest achievement, we present gold medals and awards. It a contradictory
thing and yet, as the oldest precious metal known to man, remains
extremely popular. Perhaps it is the traits of longevity and
indestructibility that made it - and continues to make it - the medium of
choice for jewelry. |
GOLD CELTIC CROSS |
|
It has been estimated that if all of
the gold ever refined were lumped together, if would make a cube of 66
feet per side. That is all there is! This being true, it is easy to see
why the metal is held to be precious.
Geological studies conducted in Spain
have unearthed bits of natural gold in caves used by Paleolithic, or Stone
Age, man roughly 40,000 years ago. This is not to say that cavemen used
gold. It is safe to say that they did not. Arguments still go on about the
precise date that the metal was first put to use. It seems that it is the
nature of gold to be surrounded by controversy and debate. Nathan Meyer
Rothschild, founder of the financial dynasty that bears his name, remarked
that he knew of only two men who understood the true value of gold – one a
clerk in the basement vault of the Banque de Paris and the other, one of
the directors of the Bank of England. Unfortunately, the two did not
agree.
It is fairly certain that c. 4000 BC,
gold was mined in what is now Greece and Romania and was being used in
decoration by cultures living in Eastern Europe.
In roughly 3000 BC, the Sumerians, in
what is now southern Iraq, and the Egyptians were well acquainted with
gold for use in jewelry. Interestingly enough, the medium of exchange in
ancient Egypt was barley, not gold. It was not until 1500 BC that gold was
recognized as a medium for international trade.
Next:
The Remarkable Malleability
of Gold
Page [1]
2
3
4
5
14K Solid Gold Figaro Link Bracelet
14K Solid Gold Curb Link Chain
Related Articles:
Rising Price of Gold and Retail
Jewelry
Pricing Gold
Chains