What is the history of gold?

Gold has been mined and used for a variety of purposes for thousands of years. The earliest known examples of the use of gold are found in the decorative items and lavish adornment of temples and tombs in Egypt some 5,000 years ago.

The enormous statue of Athena that was the centrepiece of Athens’ Acropolis was reported to glow dazzling bright because of the extensive solid gold coverings used over Athena’s body. Even the outside of the temple was generously covered in gold.

The history of gold is therefore primarily a record of the uses of gold for highly prized decorative objects or purposes. Just as with the bloody history of silver, records of the brutality of the Spanish Conquistadors provide a shocking reminder of how valuable and how sought after gold has been.

Gold was said to be in such abundance in South America before the Conquistadors arrived that many adventurers recalled accounts of solid blocks of gold used as doorstops. In only a few years the ruthless invasion had removed nearly all remaining gold and taken it back to Europe where it was duly smelted and fashioned for boundless decorations.

The 1922 finds in the tomb of the famous Egyptian boy-king Tutankhamun were freely adorned with gold and are as impressive today as they must have been thousands of years ago.

The history of gold is truly fascinating.

Just as with silver, pure gold is too soft to be used for jewellery so a mixture of other alloys such as copper, nickel and zinc are added to increase the metal’s strength and durability.

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