Gold Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == History == [[File:Grave offerings.jpg|thumb|Oldest golden artifacts in the world (4600–4200 BC) from Varna necropolis, Bulgaria — grave offerings on exposition in [[Varna Archaeological Museum|Varna Museum]].]] [[File:Indian gold tribute donor Apadana.jpg|thumb|upright|An Indian tribute-bearer at [[Apadana]], from the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]] [[satrapy]] of ''[[Hindush]]'', carrying gold on a yoke, circa 500 BC.<ref name="CDA">"Furthermore the second member of Delegation XVIII is carrying four small but evidently heavy jars on a yoke, probably containing the gold dust which was the tribute paid by the Indians." in {{cite book |last1=Iran |first1=Délégation archéologique française en |title=Cahiers de la Délégation archéologique française en Iran |date=1972 |publisher=Institut français de recherches en Iran (section archéologique) |pages=146 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=itIRAQAAMAAJ}}</ref>]] [[File:Gold Museum, Bogota (36145671394).jpg|thumb|right|The [[Muisca raft]], between circa 600–1600 AD. The figure refers to the ceremony of the legend of [[El Dorado]]. The ''[[zipa]]'' used to cover his body in gold dust, and from his [[Muisca raft|raft]], he offered treasures to the ''[[Guatavita]]'' goddess in the middle of the [[sacred lake]]. This old Muisca tradition became the origin of the legend of El Dorado.<br /><small>This Muisca raft figure is on display in the [[Gold Museum, Bogotá]], Colombia.</small>]] The earliest recorded metal employed by humans appears to be gold, which can be found [[native metal|free]] or "[[native metal|native]]". Small amounts of natural gold have been found in Spanish caves used during the late [[Paleolithic]] period, {{Circa|40,000 BC}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gold-eagle.com/gold_digest/history_gold.html |title=History of Gold |publisher=Gold Digest |access-date=4 February 2007}}</ref> The oldest gold artifacts in the world are from [[Bulgaria]] and are dating back to the 5th millennium BC (4,600 BC to 4,200 BC), such as those found in the [[Varna Necropolis]] near Lake Varna and the [[Black Sea]] coast, thought to be the earliest "well-dated" finding of gold artifacts in history.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/varna-bulgaria-gold-graves-social-hierarchy-prehistoric-archaelogy-smithsonian-journeys-travel-quarterly-180958733/ | title=Mystery of the Varna Gold: What Caused These Ancient Societies to Disappear? }}</ref><ref name="La Niece">{{cite book |last=La Niece |first=Susan (senior metallurgist in the British Museum Department of Conservation and Scientific Research) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oAfITjcHiZ0C |title=Gold |page=10 |publisher=Harvard University Press |access-date=10 April 2012 |isbn=978-0-674-03590-4 |date=15 December 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/oldest-gold-object-unearthed-bulgaria-180960093/ | title=World's Oldest Gold Object May Have Just Been Unearthed in Bulgaria }}</ref> Several prehistoric Bulgarian finds are considered no less old – the golden treasures of Hotnitsa, [[Durankulak]], artifacts from the Kurgan settlement of Yunatsite near [[Pazardzhik]], the golden treasure Sakar, as well as beads and gold jewelry found in the Kurgan settlement of [[Provadia]] – [[Solnitsata]] ("salt pit"). However, Varna gold is most often called the oldest since this treasure is the largest and most diverse.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://afrinik.com/archaeologists-have-discovered-the-oldest-treasure-in-the-world/ | title=Archaeologists have discovered the oldest treasure in the world – Afrinik | date=15 May 2021 }}</ref> Gold artifacts probably made their first appearance in Ancient Egypt at the very beginning of the pre-dynastic period, at the end of the fifth millennium BC and the start of the fourth, and smelting was developed during the course of the 4th millennium; gold artifacts appear in the archeology of Lower Mesopotamia during the early 4th millennium.<ref>Sutherland, C.H.V, Gold (London, Thames & Hudson, 1959) p 27 ff.</ref> As of 1990, gold artifacts found at the [[Wadi Qana]] cave cemetery of the [[4th millennium BC]] in [[West Bank]] were the earliest from the Levant.<ref name="Gopher, Tsuk, Shalev and Gophna">{{cite journal |last1=Gopher |first1=A. |first2=T. |last2=Tsuk |first3=S. |last3=Shalev |first4=R. |last4=Gophna |name-list-style=amp |title=Earliest Gold Artifacts in the Levant |date=August–October 1990 |journal=Current Anthropology |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=436–443 |jstor=2743275 |doi=10.1086/203868|s2cid=143173212 }}</ref> Gold artifacts such as the [[golden hats]] and the [[Nebra disk]] appeared in Central Europe from the 2nd millennium BC [[European Bronze Age|Bronze Age]]. The oldest known map of a gold mine was drawn in the 19th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt (1320–1200 BC), whereas the first written reference to gold was recorded in the 12th Dynasty around 1900 BC.<ref>Pohl, Walter L. (2011) ''Economic Geology Principles and Practice''. Wiley. p. 208. {{doi|10.1002/9781444394870.ch2}}. {{ISBN|9781444394870 }}</ref> [[Egyptian hieroglyph]]s from as early as 2600 BC describe gold, which King [[Tushratta]] of the [[Mitanni]] claimed was "more plentiful than dirt" in Egypt.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Montserrat |first1=Dominic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bfRbY4gInsQC |title=Akhenaten: History, Fantasy and Ancient Egypt |isbn=978-0-415-30186-2 |date=21 February 2003|publisher=Psychology Press }}</ref> Egypt and especially [[Nubia]] had the resources to make them major gold-producing areas for much of history. One of the earliest known maps, known as the [[Turin Papyrus Map]], shows the plan of a [[gold mine]] in Nubia together with indications of the local [[geology]]. The primitive working methods are described by both [[Strabo]] and [[Diodorus Siculus]], and included [[fire-setting]]. Large mines were also present across the [[Red Sea]] in what is now [[Saudi Arabia]]. [[File:Golden crown Armento Staatliche Antikensammlungen 01.jpg|thumb|left|Ancient golden [[Kritonios Crown]], funerary or marriage material, 370–360 BC; from a grave in [[Armento]], [[Basilicata]]]] Gold is mentioned in the [[Amarna letters]] numbered [[Amarna letter EA 19|19]]<ref>[[William L. Moran|Moran, William L.]], 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters, pp. 43–46.</ref> and [[Amarna letter EA 26|26]]<ref>[[William L. Moran|Moran, William L.]] 1987, 1992. The Amarna Letters. EA 245, "To the Queen Mother: Some Missing Gold Statues", pp. 84–86.</ref> from around the 14th century BC.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/biography/Akhenaten "Akhenaten"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611092705/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9005276/Akhenaton |date=11 June 2008 }}. ''[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]]''</ref><ref>Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan (2004). ''The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hudson. {{ISBN|0-500-05128-3}}</ref> Gold is mentioned frequently in the [[Old Testament]], starting with [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 2:11 (at [[Havilah]]), the story of the [[golden calf]], and many parts of the temple including the [[Menorah (Temple)|Menorah]] and the golden altar. In the [[New Testament]], it is included with the gifts of the [[magi]] in the first chapters of Matthew. The [[Book of Revelation]] 21:21 describes the city of [[New Jerusalem]] as having streets "made of pure gold, clear as crystal". Exploitation of gold in the south-east corner of the [[Black Sea]] 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]] around 610 BC.<ref name="lion" /> The legend of the [[golden fleece]] dating from eighth century BCE may refer to the use of fleeces to trap gold dust from [[placer deposit]]s in the ancient world. From the 6th or 5th century BC, the [[Chu (state)]] circulated the [[Ying Yuan]], one kind of square gold coin. In [[Roman metallurgy]], new methods for extracting gold on a large scale were developed by introducing [[hydraulic mining]] methods, especially in [[Hispania]] from 25 BC onwards and in [[Dacia]] from 106 AD onwards. One of their largest mines was at [[Las Medulas]] in [[León (province)|León]], where seven long [[aqueduct (watercourse)|aqueducts]] enabled them to sluice most of a large alluvial deposit. The mines at [[Roşia Montană]] in [[Transylvania]] were also very large, and until very recently,{{when|date=January 2024}} still mined by opencast methods. They also exploited smaller deposits in [[Roman Britain|Britain]], such as placer and hard-rock deposits at [[Dolaucothi]]. The various methods they used are well described by [[Pliny the Elder]] in his [[encyclopedia]] ''[[Naturalis Historia]]'' written towards the end of the first century AD. During [[Mansa Musa]]'s (ruler of the [[Mali Empire]] from 1312 to 1337) [[hajj]] to [[Mecca]] in 1324, he passed through [[Cairo]] in July 1324, and was reportedly accompanied by a [[camel train]] that included thousands of people and nearly a hundred camels where he gave away so much gold that it depressed the price in Egypt for over a decade, causing high [[inflation]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060524015912/http://www.blackhistorypages.net/pages/mansamusa.php Mansa Musa]. Black History Pages</ref> A contemporary Arab historian remarked: {{blockquote|Gold was at a high price in Egypt until they came in that year. The mithqal did not go below 25 dirhams and was generally above, but from that time its value fell and it cheapened in price and has remained cheap till now. The mithqal does not exceed 22 dirhams or less. This has been the state of affairs for about twelve years until this day by reason of the large amount of gold which they brought into Egypt and spent there [...].|sign=[[Chihab Al-Umari]]|source=Kingdom of Mali<ref>{{cite web |title=Kingdom of Mali – Primary Source Documents |url=http://www.bu.edu/africa/outreach/resources/k_o_mali/ |website=African studies Center |publisher=[[Boston University]] |access-date=30 January 2012}}</ref>}} [[File:Monnaie de Bactriane, Eucratide I, 2 faces.jpg|thumb|Gold coin of [[Eucratides I]] (171–145 BC), one of the Hellenistic rulers of ancient [[Ai-Khanoum]]. This is the largest known gold coin minted in antiquity ({{cvt|169.2|g}}; {{cvt|58|mm}}).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Monnaie |first1=Eucratide I. (roi de Bactriane) Autorité émettrice de |title=[Monnaie : 20 Statères, Or, Incertain, Bactriane, Eucratide I] |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8510709q}}</ref>]] The European exploration of the Americas was fueled in no small part by reports of the gold ornaments displayed in great profusion by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] peoples, especially in [[Mesoamerica]], [[Peru]], [[Ecuador]] and [[Colombia]]. The [[Aztec]]s regarded gold as the product of the gods, calling it literally "god excrement" (''teocuitlatl'' in [[Nahuatl]]), and after [[Moctezuma II]] was killed, most of this gold was shipped to Spain.<ref>{{Cite book |first1=Frances |last1=Berdan |first2=Patricia Rieff |last2=Anawalt |title=The Codex Mendoza |volume=2 |page=151 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |date=1992 |isbn=978-0-520-06234-4}}</ref> However, for the [[indigenous peoples of North America]] gold was considered useless and they saw much greater value in other [[minerals]] which were directly related to their utility, such as [[obsidian]], [[flint]], and [[slate]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120112010110/http://www.sierranevadavirtualmuseum.com/docs/galleries/history/culture/shadows.htm Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum]. Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum. Retrieved on 4 May 2012.</ref> [[El Dorado]] is applied to a legendary story in which precious stones were found in fabulous abundance along with gold coins. The concept of El Dorado underwent several transformations, and eventually accounts of the previous myth were also combined with those of a legendary lost city. El Dorado, was the term used by the Spanish Empire to describe a mythical tribal chief (zipa) of the Muisca native people in [[Colombia]], who, as an initiation rite, covered himself with gold dust and submerged in [[Lake Guatavita]]. The legends surrounding El Dorado changed over time, as it went from being a man, to a city, to a kingdom, and then finally to an empire.{{cn|date=January 2024}} Beginning in the [[early modern period]], European [[Age of Discovery|exploration]] and [[Colonisation of Africa|colonization]] of [[West Africa]] was driven in large part by reports of gold deposits in the region, which was eventually referred to by Europeans as the "[[Gold Coast (region)|Gold Coast]]".<ref>{{cite book | first=James Maxwell | last=Anderson|title=The History of Portugal | publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group | year=2000 | isbn=0-313-31106-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UoryGn9o4x0C | ref=refAnderson}}</ref> From the late 15th to early 19th centuries, European trade in the region was primarily focused in gold, along with [[ivory]] and [[Atlantic slave trade|slaves]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Newitt|first=Malyn|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fsoWg1yXKQUC&q=portuguese+in+ghana|title=The Portuguese in West Africa, 1415–1670: A Documentary History|date=28 June 2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-139-49129-7|language=en}}</ref> The gold trade in West Africa was dominated by the [[Ashanti Empire]], who initially traded with the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] before branching out and trading with [[British Empire|British]], [[French colonial empire|French]], [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] and [[Danish colonial empire|Danish]] merchants.<ref name="Green, Toby">{{cite book |last1=Green |first1=Toby |title=A fistful of shells : West Africa from the rise of the slave trade to the age of revolution |date=31 January 2019 |location=London |isbn=978-0-241-00328-2 |pages=108, 247 |edition=Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle-Version}}</ref> British desires to secure control of West African gold deposits played a role in the [[Anglo-Ashanti wars]] of the late 19th century, which saw the Ashanti Empire [[Gold Coast (British colony)|annexed by Britain]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Edgerton |first=Robert B. |year=2010 |title=The Fall of the Asante Empire: The Hundred-Year War For Africa's Gold Coast |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=9781451603736 }}</ref> Gold played a role in western culture, as a cause for desire and of corruption, as told in children's [[fable]]s such as [[Rumpelstiltskin]]—where Rumpelstiltskin turns hay into gold for the peasant's daughter in return for her child when she becomes a princess—and the stealing of the hen that lays golden eggs in [[Jack and the Beanstalk]]. The top prize at the [[Olympic Games]] and many other sports competitions is the [[gold medal]]. 75% of the presently accounted for gold has been extracted since 1910, two-thirds since 1950. One main goal of the [[alchemy|alchemists]] was to produce gold from other substances, such as [[lead]] — presumably by the interaction with a mythical substance called the [[philosopher's stone]]. Trying to produce gold led the alchemists to systematically find out what can be done with substances, and this laid the foundation for today's [[chemistry]], which can produce gold (albeit uneconomically) by using [[nuclear transmutation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-lead-can-be-turned-into-gold/ |title=Fact or Fiction?: Lead Can Be Turned into Gold |author=Matson, John |date=31 January 2014 |website=scientificamerican.com |access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref> Their symbol for gold was the circle with a point at its center (☉), which was also the [[astrology|astrological]] symbol and the ancient [[Chinese character]] for the [[Sun]]. The [[Dome of the Rock]] is covered with an ultra-thin golden glassier. The [[Sikh]] Golden temple, the [[Harmandir Sahib]], is a building covered with gold. Similarly the [[Wat Phra Kaew]] emerald [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] [[temple]] ([[wat]]) in [[Thailand]] has ornamental gold-leafed statues and roofs. Some European king and queen's [[crown (headgear)|crowns]] were made of gold, and gold was used for the [[bridal crown]] since antiquity. An ancient Talmudic text circa 100 AD describes [[Rachel, wife of Rabbi Akiva]], receiving a "Jerusalem of Gold" (diadem). A Greek burial crown made of gold was found in a grave circa 370 BC. <gallery mode="packed" heights="170px"> Gold leaf MET DP260372.jpg|[[Minoan civilization|Minoan]] jewellery, 2300–2100 BC, gold, [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], New York Earrings from Shulgi.JPG|[[Sumer]]ian earrings with [[cuneiform]] inscriptions, 2093–2046 BC, gold, [[Sulaymaniyah Museum]], [[Sulaymaniyah]], Iraq File:Aegina treasure 10.jpg|Minoan cup, part of the [[Aegina Treasure]], 1850–1550 BC, gold, [[British Museum]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=La Niece|first1=Susan|title=Gold|date=2009|publisher=The British Museum Press|isbn=978-0-7141-5076-5|page=8|url=|language=en}}</ref> Statuette of Amun MET DT553.jpg|[[Ancient Egypt]]ian statuette of [[Amun]], 945–715 BC, gold, Metropolitan Museum of Art Anillo de Sheshonq (46627183381).jpg|Ancient Egyptian signet ring, 664–525 BC, gold, British Museum File:Openwork dagger handle-IMG 4418-black.jpg|[[Ancient China|Ancient Chinese]] cast openwork dagger hilt, 6th–5th centuries BC, gold, British Museum<ref>{{cite book|last1=La Niece|first1=Susan|title=Gold|date=2009|publisher=The British Museum Press|isbn=978-0-7141-5076-5|page=25|url=|language=en}}</ref> Gold stater MET DP138743.jpg|[[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greek]] [[stater]], 323–315 BC, gold, Metropolitan Museum of Art Gold funerary wreath MET DP257471.jpg|[[Etruscans|Etruscan]] funerary wreath, 4th–3rd century BC, gold, Metropolitan Museum of Art Gold aureus of Hadrian MET DP104782b.jpg|[[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[aureus]] of [[Hadrian]], 134–138 AD, gold, Metropolitan Museum of Art Lime Container (Poporo) MET DT1262.jpg|[[Quimbaya civilization|Quimbaya]] lime container, 5th–9th century, gold, Metropolitan Museum of Art File:British Museum - Room 41 (20626313758).jpg|[[Anglo-Saxon art|Anglo-Saxon]] belt buckle from [[Sutton Hoo]] with a [[niello]] [[Interlace (art)|interlace]] pattern, 7th century, gold, British Museum<ref>{{cite book|last1=La Niece|first1=Susan|title=Gold|date=2009|publisher=The British Museum Press|isbn=978-0-7141-5076-5|page=76|url=|language=en}}</ref> Byzantium, 11th century - Scyphate - 2001.25 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|[[Byzantine empire|Byzantine]] [[scyphate]], 1059–1067, gold, [[Cleveland Museum of Art]], [[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], USA Double Bat-Head Figure Pendant MET DT935.jpg|[[Pre-Columbian era|Pre-Columbian]] pendant with two bat-head warriors who carry spears, 11th–16th century, gold, Metropolitan Museum of Art File:AHOTWgold lama.JPG|[[Inca Empire|Inca]] hollow model of a llama, 14th-15th centuries, gold, British Museum<ref>{{cite book|last1=La Niece|first1=Susan|title=Gold|date=2009|publisher=The British Museum Press|isbn=978-0-7141-5076-5|page=66|url=|language=en}}</ref> File:The Judgement of Paris, Waddeson Bequest.jpg|[[Renaissance art|Renaissance]] hat badge that shows the [[Judgment of Paris]], 16th century, enamelled gold, British Museum<ref>{{cite book|last1=La Niece|first1=Susan|title=Gold|date=2009|publisher=The British Museum Press|isbn=978-0-7141-5076-5|page=20|url=|language=en}}</ref> Box with scene depicting Roman hero Gaius Mucius Scaevola before the Etruscan king Lars Porsena MET DP170836 (cropped).jpg|[[Rococo]] box, by [[George Michael Moser]], 1741, gold, Metropolitan Museum of Art Jean Joseph de Saint-Germain - Candelabrum - 1946.81 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif|Rococo candelabrum, by [[Jean Joseph de Saint-Germain]], {{circa}}1750, gilt bronze, Cleveland Museum of Art Tabatière Minerve, Mercure, Pégase (Louvre, OA 2121).jpg|Rococo snuff box with [[Minerva]], by [[Jean-Malquis Lequin]], 1750–1752, gold and painted enamel, Louvre<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010111221|website=collections.louvre.fr|title=Tabatière|access-date=18 November 2023}}</ref> File:Tabatière J-Frémin (Louvre, OA 6857).jpg|[[Louis XVI style]] snuff box, by [[Jean Frémin]], 1763–1764, gold and painted enamel, Louvre<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010099410|website=collections.louvre.fr|title=Tabatière ovale|access-date=18 November 2023}}</ref> File:Washstand (athénienne or lavabo) MET DP106594.jpg|[[Neoclassicism|Neoclassical]] washstand (athénienne or lavabo), 1800–1814, legs, base and shelf of yew wood, gilt bronze mounts, iron plate beneath shelf, Metropolitan Museum of Art File:Clock, French, circa 1835-1840, gilt and patinated bronze, inherited from Maurice Quentin Bauchart, 1911, inv. 17741, Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris.jpg|[[Gothic Revival decorative arts|Gothic Revival]] clock, unknown French maker, {{circa}}1835-1840, gilt and patinated bronze, [[Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris|Museum of Decorative Arts]], Paris File:Teapot, by Alphonse Debain, from Paris, 1900, gilt silver and ivory, inv. 2021.63.1 MAD Paris.jpg|[[Art Nouveau]] teapot, by [[Alphonse Debain]], gilt silver and ivory, Museum of Decorative Arts </gallery> === Etymology === [[File:Beowulf - gold.jpg|thumb|An early mention of gold in the ''[[Beowulf]]'']] ''Gold'' is [[cognate]] with similar words in many [[Germanic languages]], deriving via [[Proto-Germanic]] [[wikt:Appendix:Proto-Germanic/gulþą|*''gulþą'']] from [[Proto-Indo-European]] [[wikt:Appendix:Proto-Indo-European/ǵʰelh₃-|*''ǵʰelh₃-'']] {{gloss|to shine, to gleam; to be yellow or green}}.<ref>{{OEtymD|gold}}</ref><ref>Hesse, R W. (2007) [https://books.google.com/books?id=DIWEi5Hg93gC&pg=PA103 Jewelrymaking Through History: An Encyclopedia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101113823/https://books.google.com/books?id=DIWEi5Hg93gC&pg=PA103 |date=1 November 2022 }}, Greenwood Publishing Group. {{ISBN|0313335079}}</ref> The symbol ''Au'' is from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|[[:wikt:aurum|aurum]]}} {{gloss|gold}}.<ref>Notre Dame University [http://www.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/lookup.pl?stem=Aurum&ending= Latin Dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205123228/http://www.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/lookup.pl?stem=Aurum&ending= |date=5 February 2016 }} Retrieved 7 June 2012</ref> The Proto-Indo-European ancestor of ''aurum'' was ''*h₂é-h₂us-o-'', meaning {{gloss|glow}}. This word is derived from the same [[Root (linguistics)|root]] (Proto-Indo-European ''*h₂u̯es-'' {{gloss|to dawn}}) as [[wikt:Appendix:Proto-Indo-European/h₂éwsōs|''*h₂éu̯sōs'']], the ancestor of the Latin word {{lang|la|[[aurora]]}} {{gloss|dawn}}.<ref>{{cite book |last=de Vaan |first=Michel |title=Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic languages |date=2008 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden: Boston |isbn=978-90-04-16797-1 |page=63}}</ref> This etymological relationship is presumably behind the frequent claim in scientific publications that {{lang|la|aurum}} meant {{gloss|shining dawn}}.<ref name="Brathwaite">Christie, A and Brathwaite, R. (Last updated 2 November 2011) [https://web.archive.org/web/20130208092020/http://www.nzpam.govt.nz/cms/pdf-library/minerals/publications/Commodity%20Reports/report14_gold.pdf Mineral Commodity Report 14 — Gold], Institute of geological and Nuclear sciences Ltd – Retrieved 7 June 2012</ref> === Culture === {{anchor|Cultural history}} [[File:Jewelry and clothing ornaments.jpg|thumb|[[Arts in the Philippines|Gold crafts from the Philippines]] prior to Western contact]] In popular culture gold is a high standard of excellence, often used in awards.<ref name="martin08" /> Great achievements are frequently rewarded with gold, in the form of [[gold medal]]s, gold [[trophy|trophies]] and other decorations. Winners of athletic events and other graded competitions are usually awarded a gold medal. Many awards such as the [[Nobel Prize]] are made from gold as well. Other award statues and prizes are depicted in gold or are [[gold plated]] (such as the [[Academy Awards]], the [[Golden Globe Awards]], the [[Emmy Awards]], the [[Palme d'Or]], and the [[British Academy Film Awards]]).<ref>H. G. Bachmann, ''The lure of gold : an artistic and cultural history'' (2006).</ref> [[Aristotle]] in his [[Aristotelian ethics|ethics]] used gold symbolism when referring to what is now known as the [[golden mean (philosophy)|golden mean]]. Similarly, gold is associated with perfect or divine principles, such as in the case of the [[golden ratio]] and the [[golden rule]]. Gold is further associated with the wisdom of aging and fruition. The fiftieth [[wedding anniversary]] is golden. A person's most valued or most successful latter years are sometimes considered "golden years". The height of a civilization is referred to as a [[golden age (metaphor)|golden age]].<ref>Lubna Umar and Sarwet Rasul, "Critical Metaphor Analysis: Nawaz Sharif and the Myth of a Golden Time" ''NUML Journal of Critical Inquiry'' 15#2, (Dec 2017): 78–102.</ref> ====Religion==== [[File:Filippine, provincia di agusan, immagine hindu, statuetta in oro massiccio, xiii secolo.jpg|thumb|The [[Agusan image]], depicting a deity from northeast [[Mindanao]]]] The first known prehistoric human usages of gold were [[Prehistoric religion|religious]] in nature.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lioudis |first=Nick |date=30 April 2023 |title=What Is the Gold Standard? Advantages, Alternatives, and History |url=https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/09/gold-standard.asp |access-date=21 September 2023 |website=[[Investopedia]] |language=en}}</ref> In some forms of Christianity and Judaism, gold has been associated both with the sacred and evil. In the [[Book of Exodus]], the [[Golden Calf]] is a symbol of [[idolatry]], while in the [[Book of Genesis]], [[Abraham]] was said to be rich in gold and silver, and Moses was instructed to cover the [[Mercy Seat]] of [[Ark of the Covenant|the Ark of the Covenant]] with pure gold. In [[Eastern Christianity|Byzantine]] [[icon]]ography the [[Halo (religious iconography)|halos]] of Christ, [[Virgin Mary]] and the saints are often golden.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Alborn | first1 = Timothy | year = 2017 | title = The Greatest Metaphor Ever Mixed: Gold in the British Bible, 1750–1850 | url = https://academicworks.cuny.edu/le_pubs/184| journal = Journal of the History of Ideas | volume = 78 | issue = 3| pages = 427–447 | doi = 10.1353/jhi.2017.0024 | pmid = 28757488 | s2cid = 27312741 }}</ref> In [[Islam]],<ref name="moors-etnofoor">{{cite journal |last1=Moors |first1=Annelies |title=Wearing gold, owning gold: the multiple meanings of gold jewelry |journal=Etnofoor |date=2013 |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=78–89 |oclc=858949147|issn=0921-5158}}</ref> gold (along with [[silk]])<ref name="boulanouar-otago">{{cite thesis |last1=Boulanouar |first1=Aisha Wood |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10523/1748|title=Myths and Reality: Meaning in Moroccan Muslim Women's Dress |date=2011 |publisher=University of Otago |hdl=10523/1748 |type=Thesis, Doctor of Philosophy|citeseerx=10.1.1.832.2031 }}</ref><ref name="poonai-islamic-clothing">{{cite web |last1=Poonai |first1=Anand |title=Islamic Male Clothing |url=https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/whatwewear/men/ |website=Who We Are & What We Wear |access-date=17 June 2020 |date=2015}}</ref> is often cited as being forbidden for men to wear.<ref name="aziz-hijab">{{cite journal |last1=Aziz |first1=Rookhsana |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10500/4888 |title=Hijab – The Islamic Dress Code: Its historical development, evidence from sacred sources and views of selected Muslim scholars |date=November 2010 |publisher=University of South Africa|journal=UNISA EDT (Electronic Theses and Dissertations)|hdl=10500/4888 |type=Thesis, Master of Arts|citeseerx=10.1.1.873.8651 }}</ref> [[Abu Bakr al-Jazaeri]], quoting a [[hadith]], said that "[t]he wearing of silk and gold are forbidden on the males of my nation, and they are lawful to their women".<ref name="byu-studies-toronto-umma">{{cite journal |last1=Toronto |first1=James A. |title=Many Voices, One ''Umma'': Sociopolitical Debate in the Muslim Community |journal=BYU Studies Quarterly |date=1 October 2001 |volume=40 |issue=4 |pages=29–50 |url=https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol40/iss4/4}}</ref> This, however, has not been enforced consistently throughout history, e.g. in the Ottoman Empire.<ref name="jirousek-clothing">{{cite web |last1=Jirousek |first1=Charlotte |title=Islamic Clothing |url=http://char.txa.cornell.edu/islamicclothes.htm |publisher=Encyclopedia of Islam |access-date=17 June 2020 |date=2004}}</ref> Further, small gold accents on clothing, such as in [[embroidery]], may be permitted.<ref name="omar-dress">{{cite journal |last1=Omar |first1=Sara |title=Dress |journal=The Encyclopedia of Islam and Law, Oxford Islamic Studies Online |date=28 March 2014 |url=https://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t349/e0040 }} {{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In [[ancient Greek religion]] and [[Greek mythology|mythology]], [[Theia]] was seen as the goddess of gold, silver and other [[Gemstone|gemstones]].<ref>{{cite book | page = [https://books.google.com/books?id=c7cNB-JaZA8C&pg=PT153 153] | last1 = Daly | last2 = Rengel | title = Greek and Roman Mythology, A to Z | first1 = Kathleen N. | first2 = Marian | publisher = Chelsea House Publishers | date = 1992 | isbn = 978-1-60413-412-4}}</ref> According to [[Christopher Columbus]], those who had something of gold were in possession of something of great value on Earth and a substance to even help souls to paradise.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bernstein |first=Peter L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dIYmHiYhDu8C |title=The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession |date=2004 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-471-43659-1 |page=1}}</ref> [[Wedding ring]]s are typically made of gold. It is long lasting and unaffected by the passage of time and may aid in the ring symbolism of eternal vows before God and the perfection the marriage signifies. In [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]] wedding ceremonies, the wedded couple is adorned with a golden crown (though some opt for wreaths, instead) during the ceremony, an amalgamation of symbolic rites.{{Explain|reason=Is it a single crown and where does the amalgamation come from?|date=September 2023}} On 24 August 2020, [[Israel]]i archaeologists discovered a trove of early [[Islam]]ic gold coins near the central city of [[Yavne]]. Analysis of the extremely rare collection of 425 gold coins indicated that they were from the late 9th century. Dating to around 1,100 years back, the gold coins were from the [[Abbasid Caliphate]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/5a35414a3fdcdf42c68a274b69595750|title=Israeli dig unearths large trove of early Islamic gold coins|access-date=24 August 2020|website=Associated Press|date=24 August 2020 }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page