2007/06/21

History of Gold

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Rare Gold Metal

Egyptian hieroglyphics as early as 2600 BC describe gold as ‘common as dust’. Egypt and Nubia has sufficient gold to make them the major gold area for much of history. The Old Testament mentions gold more than once. The Black Sea was famous for its gold. In Lydia approximately 640 BC gold was used for coins.

Gold Ornaments created by Native Americans in Peru and Columbia, as well as, other countries, fueled the exploration of the Americas. The explorers came seeking this material to bring it home to the rulers of Europe.

In historic times, gold was easy to obtain. Since 1910 over seventy-five percent of all gold reserves have been extracted. Many of us are familiar with the California gold rush of 1910. Large deposits of gold were also discovered in Australia, Colorado, the Black Hills, and, of course, the famous Klondike gold rushes.

Since the 1880s, South Africa has mined a large portion of the gold supply of the entire world. The South African supply has declined since 2004 since it is becoming harder to extract the gold and the economic conditions in the country are affecting the gold industry.

In modern times, we have rewarded medals and decorations for great achievements such as the Gold Medal for the Olympic Games and the Nobel Prize. Gold will always be known for it’s beauty and symbolism.

Nan is an Accountant and Real Estate Professional with an information and research site online Gold and a Business Writer with a blog BusinessTips

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_Woodward
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Gold has been known and highly valued since prehistoric times. It may have been the first metal used by humans and was valued for ornamentation and rituals. Egyptian hieroglyphs from as early as 2600 BC describe gold, which king Tushratta of the Mitanni claimed was "more plentiful than dirt" in Egypt.[4] Egypt and Nubia had the resources to make them major gold-producing areas for much of history. Gold is also mentioned several times in the Old Testament, and is included with the gifts of the magi in the first chapters of Matthew New Testament The south-east corner of the Black Sea was famed for its gold. Exploitation is said to date from the time of Midas, and this gold was important in the establishment of what is probably the world's earliest coinage in Lydia between 643 and 630 BC.

The European exploration of the Americas was fueled in no small part by reports of the gold ornaments displayed in great profusion by Native American peoples, especially in Central America, Peru, and Colombia.

Although the price of some platinum group metals can be much higher, gold has long been considered the most desirable of precious metals, and its value has been used as the standard for many currencies (known as the gold standard) in history. Gold has been used as a symbol for purity, value, royalty, and particularly roles that combine these properties. Gold as a sign of wealth and prestige was made fun of by Thomas More in his treatise Utopia. On that imaginary island, gold is so abundant that it is used to make chains for slaves, tableware and lavatory-seats. When ambassadors from other countries arrive, dressed in ostentatious gold jewels and badges, the Utopians mistake them for menial servants, paying homage instead to the most modestly-dressed of their party.

There is an age-old tradition of biting gold in order to test its authenticity. Although this is certainly not a professional way of examining gold, the bite test should score the gold because gold is considered a soft metal according to the Mohs' scale of mineral hardness. The purer the gold the easier it should be to mark it. Painted lead can cheat this test because lead is softer than gold (and may invite a small risk of lead poisoning if sufficient lead is absorbed by the biting).


Gold in antiquity was relatively easy to obtain geologically; however, 75% of all gold ever produced has been extracted since 1910.[5] It has been estimated that all the gold in the world that has ever been refined would form a single cube 20 m (66 ft) on a side (8000 m³).

The primary goal of the alchemists was to produce gold from other substances, such as lead — presumably by the interaction with a mythical substance called the philosopher's stone. Although they never succeeded in this attempt, the alchemists promoted an interest in what can be done with substances, and this laid a foundation for today's chemistry. Their symbol for gold was the circle with a point at its center (☉), which was also the astrological symbol, the Egyptian hieroglyph and the ancient Chinese character for the Sun (now 日). For modern attempts to produce artificial gold, see gold synthesis.

During the 19th century, gold rushes occurred whenever large gold deposits were discovered. The first major gold strike in the United States occurred in a small north Georgia town called Dahlonega.[6] Further gold rushes occurred in California, Colorado, Otago, Australia, Witwatersrand, Black Hills, and Klondike.

Because of its historically high value, much of the gold mined throughout history is still in circulation in one form or another.


(source : wikipedia.org)




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