Gold in antiquity: Did you mean...?

El Dorado ('Gilded Man' or 'Golden One') referred to the legendary kings of the Muisca (Chibcha) people who populated the northern Andes of modern-day Colombia from 600 to 1600. The name derives from the coronation ritual when the new king...

The coinage of the Byzantine Empire continued that of its more ancient predecessors and functioned as a convenient method of payment for goods and services, especially to soldiers and officials, and as a means for people to pay their taxes...

Scythian art is best known for its 'animal art.' Flourishing between the 7th and 3rd centuries BCE on the steppe of Central Asia, with echoes of Celtic influence, the Scythians were known for their works in gold. Moreover, with the recent...

The Oxus Treasure is a collection of 180 artifacts of precious metal, dated to the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550-330 BCE), which were discovered on the north bank of the Oxus River near the town of Takht-i Sangin in Tajikstan between 1876-1880...

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

Gold coins issued by Samudragupta (circa 335 – 375 CE).

Bowl, gold. c. 1100 BCE. Zurich-Altstetten. Canton of Zurich. With images of stags and does grazing under round suns and crescent moons, this heavy vessel made of pure gold depicts both heaven and earth. It was buried by a farming community...

Gold snail shell, 100 BCE - 1000 CE. Restrepo, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. 14,8 x 30 cm (5.8 x 11.8 inches). Museo del Oro / The Gold's Museum (Bogota, Colombia).

A c. 6th century CE gold girdle from the Silla kingdom of south-eastern Korea (57 BCE - 668 CE). From the Gold Crown Tomb, Gyeongju. National Treasure No. 88. (Gyeongju National Museum, South Korea)

Did you know that the Ghana king would automatically keep any gold nugget extracted that weighed between 25 grams and half a kilo? This video is all about the lucrative gold trade of ancient and medieval West Africa. West Africa was...