Gold in antiquity: Did you mean...?

A gold bead from the dolmen d'Er Roh, La Trinite Sur Mer, France, 2200-2000 BCE. Vannes Archaeological Museum, France.

Artist's impression of how Coronado's expedition may have looked, titled "Seekers of the Seven Cities of Gold, Coronado in the Chiricahaus".

Gold stater from Lydia, reign of Croesus, 560-546 BCE. O: Lion and ox. R: Two incuse squares.

A gold ring from Mycenaean Tiryns, the largest such example. The engraved scene depicts lion-headed creatures in a religious procession carrying libation vases. On the left side is a seated goddess. 15th century BCE...

Egyptian inlaid gold bracelets belonging to Prince Nimlot, one of the sons of Sheshonq I, the first king of the 22nd Dynasty. About 940 BCE. Said to be from Sa el-Haggar (Sais), Egypt. From The British Museum, (photo taken...

In the Late Roman Period, precious metal that had been paid in tax was melted down into bars before being re-minted, to eliminate plated forgeries. Because local mint officials could be corrupt, the bars were stamped...

Gold shield with the head of god Sebiumeker. From the treasure of the Nubian queen Amanishakheto, pyramid N6, Meroe, modern-day northern Sudan. Meroitic period, around 1 CE. (State Museum of Egyptian Art, Munich, Germany...

Macedonian gold stater from the reign of Philip II, 359-356 BCE. O: Head of Apollo. R: Charioteer driving a racing biga.

An aerial view of Gold Beach during the D-Day Normandy Landings of 6 June 1944. The smoke is from German defensive positions struck by Allied naval and air bombardment. (Imperial War Museums)

Both earrings are placed in a mirror-image position, with the lower surfaces facing each other. Each earring is composed of nine lunar-shaped segments forming a flattened half- ball. The cuneiform signs run vertically...