Where did the ancients find gold?
Most archaeologists believe that most of the gold came from mines along the Nile River, with some mines located as far as 800 miles south of Cairo. The Nile River carries gold all throughout. Much of Ancient Egypt's gold was sourced from this massive river.
Egypt is a land rich in gold, and ancient miners employing traditional methods were thorough in their exploitation of economically feasible sources. In addition to the resources of the Eastern Desert, Egypt had access to the riches of Nubia, which is reflected in its ancient name, nbw (the Egyptian word for gold).
CAIRO – 28 July 2020: The first to discover gold was the Pharaohs, through excavations in the Eastern Desert, Red Sea and Nubia. Ancient Egyptians excelled in manufacturing gold and it had a strong presence in their life.
Answer and Explanation: The Aztecs received their gold from various tribute states within their empire. Gold was actually not plentiful in the location of the major Aztec city-states.
During the biblical period, just as today, gold served as a store of value, a symbol of wealth and prominence, and a jewelry metal. It was obtained in trade mainly from sources in Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, India, and the Sinai Peninsula.
Gold Discovery in America
Gold was first discovered in California by James Marshall, who saw it in a river on his way to catch some boiling water. When he looked down, he saw gold flakes in the water.
King Solomon's legendary “lost” gold mine, the biblical Ophir that yielded much of the fabulous wealth of the Kingdom of Israel nearly 3,000 years ago, may have been “found” in Saudi Arabia.
Active mining began in Egypt around 3000 BCE. Egypt has substantial mineral resources, including 48 million tons of tantalite (fourth largest in the world), 50 million tons of coal, and an estimated 6.7 million ounces of gold in the Eastern Desert.
Most of that gold has come from just three countries: China, Australia, and South Africa. The United States ranked fourth in gold production in 2016.
The Romans exploited alluvial deposits (placers) of gold and tin by panning or, if they were larger in scale, by flushing the alluvium with large quantities of water released at high speed in sluices to separate the metal-bearing sands from the dross.
Why was gold so valuable in ancient times?
Gold was generally used for a couple thousand years solely to create things such as jewelry and idols for worship. This was until around 1500 BC when the ancient empire of Egypt, which benefited greatly from its gold-bearing region, Nubia, made gold the first official medium of exchange for international trade.
The Maya. Although gold was panned in the Guatemala highlands, it was not produced in great quantity. For the most part, Mayans traded for their gold with other Mesoamerican peoples[5].
The Maya. 5The gold artefacts discovered in the Maya area originate mainly from the Yucatan region. In fact, most of the artefacts were recovered from the Chichen Itza Cenote during the first decade of the 20th century. These items were part of offerings and ritual ceremonies.
The Inca also practiced basic mining. As the Andes Mountains are rich in minerals, the Incans accumulated a great deal of gold and silver by the time the Spaniards arrived.
The Bible indicates that there is something higher and better: the laws and judgments of God. As the Psalmist says: “The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold” (19:9, 10).
Genesis 2:10-12 says, “Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides into four headstreams. The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there).”
In Bible times, refiners used fire as a gold purifier. Fire caused impurities to rise to the surface for easier removal. In his first letter to believers in Jesus throughout Asia Minor (northern Turkey), the apostle Peter used the gold-refining process as a metaphor for the way trials work in the life of a believer.
In 1848 John Sutter was having a water-powered sawmill built along the American River in Coloma, California, approximately 50 miles (80 km) east of present-day Sacramento. On January 24 his carpenter, James W. Marshall, found flakes of gold in a streambed.
During these ancient times, gold was mined from alluvial placers—that is, particles of elemental gold found in river sands. The gold was concentrated by washing away the lighter river sands with water, leaving behind the dense gold particles, which could then be further concentrated by melting.
Gold, the protector of wealth, is delivered to us by God and has withstood the test of time. Paper currency is man-made and represents a lack of virtue and promotes a life of excess. Gold and silver belong to God alone for God created it and bestowed it upon us here on Earth.
Why are the sides of a Bible gold?
Gilding is the color shown on the edge of a Bible's pages, often a gold or silver color. This process has been carried on for many generations of book binders for decorative purposes, giving each Bible a classic, elegant appearance.
Yes, there is gold in the ocean.
Gold in the ocean is so dilute that its concentration is on the order of parts per trillion. Pictured above, the ROV Deep Discoverer investigates the geomorphology of Block Canyon in the Atlantic Ocean. Ocean waters do hold gold, but it's difficult to say exactly how much.
The walls of the chamber in which Tutankhamun lay were covered in gold, and his coffin was a three-piece sarcophagus of which the outermost was in red quartzite and the innermost was 110 kilograms (240 pounds) of solid gold.
| Giuseppe Ferlini | |
|---|---|
| Resting place | Certosa di Bologna |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation | Treasure hunter |
| Known for | The plundering of the pyramids of Meroë |
NASA is on a mission to explore a Greek-named asteroid called 16 Psyche that contains a double-edged sword. Made completely of metal, it boasts enough gold to either make every person on Earth a billionaire—or to collapse the gold market and destabilize the entire global financial world.