What is history of gold?

As we know, the price of gold varies every day.  Gold prices change related to supply and demand. Gold is one of the most precious and expensive metals available on the earth. The luster, smooth finish, easy to mold, delicate texture, etc. makes it a worthy metal and all time favorite of most of the people. If we go back to trace the history of gold, we will find that it had been used for thousand years. It is believed to have been discovered even before the most used and popular metal like copper and iron. Gold was believed to be first found by Egyptians and Greeks, and it was believed to have been discovered some 3100 years ago. Due to its brilliant yellow color Incas called “tears of the sun” whereas others mentioned it to be an important sign of the wealth. Few of its characteristics are mentioned below which made it a brilliant metal for use over centuries.


When gold was discovered it was found that it existed in the pure state, which means it was not found in ores. Hence, the people did not have to undergo the rigorous process of extraction of metal from ores. This made it a more popular and expensive metal. Also, it could be molded, casted and drawn into wires and sheets easily so jewelry and coins could be easily made. Also, it was resistant to corrosion hence it was durable and remained for a long time. It does not lose its shine, property and value even when exposed to moisture, temperature, and corrosive acids. Because of all these properties early people connected it to God and gave it a special position. They made idols, coins articles and temples of gold.


Early civilization believed that the gold is pure and never gets corroded. They worshiped their rulers like God hence engraved the names or figures of their rules on the gold coin as a symbol of purity, power, glory, beauty and value. In the excavation found in Turkey, the gold ornaments and jewelry have great traditional designs that are heavy as well. Gold mines can be located nearly all over the globe. Hence in order get more and more gold war prisoners, criminals of jail or slaves were put to mining work.  Gold can be related to water as most of it is found in or near the water bodies and in Polar Regions as well.


The great stories of gold and its origin can be traced in testaments of ancient Greece and China. Different stories and fables prevail in the world regarding gold, and Midas Touch is one of them which every child must have heard of. Currently China and USA are the major producers of gold. Today gold plays an important in the economy of a country and the financial status of an individual. Apart from jewelry it is also used as hard cash and something that can be passed on from generations to generations. Gold also finds applications in the field of medicine, electronics, non-electronic field, chemistry for commercial purposes and in food as well.