Gold, chemical symbol Au (from the Latin aurum meaning 'shining dawn'), is a precious metal which has been used since antiquity in the production of jewellery, coinage, sculpture, vessels and as a decoration for buildings, monuments and statues.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 5000 BCEElectrum (gold and silver alloy) used by the Egyptians in jewellery.
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c. 3000 BCESumer civilization in Mesopotamia use gold in jewellery manufacture.
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c. 2500 BCEEgyptians invent the technique of filigree in the manufacture of gold objects.
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c. 1800 BCEMinoans on Crete use gold in jewellery manufacture.
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c. 1550 BCEGold death masks (including that of 'Agamemnon') made at Mycenae.
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1200 BCEChavin civilization in Peru manufactures gold goods.
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c. 635 BCE - 585 BCEReign of Alyattes of Lydia. Minting of first coins made from electrum.
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c. 560 BCECroesus of Lydia first manufactures coins of solid gold.
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24 Jan 1848 CEThe California Gold Rush begins when flakes of gold are discovered by James W. Marshall in Coloma, California. The Gold Rush brought people from all over the United States and the world, swelling California's population and encouraging its incorporation as a state in 1850.
