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Where was gold found?
Though the original discoverer of gold has long been lost to modern history, we can trace gold mining and refining process back to the early outset of man. The continent of Africa has always had a rich history where gold is concerned and, even today, the largest natural deposits of gold are located in the South African nation.
The ancient Greeks tell us of refining processes in which refiners, called fire sitters, situated themselves beside fires that brought their gold ore to temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees Celsius. As the molten gold was heated, the denser gold would sink to the bottom as the impurities rose to the top of the crucible. These impurities created a scummy dross that was sloughed off the top of the molten gold, thus purifying the gold for use in ornaments and coinage. This method of refining has brought us the colloquial phrase, refined by fire, that is used to refer to an individual who has went through tribulations and tests to become the individual they have become.
The ancient Romans were perhaps the most influential in the spread of gold throughout the world as a means of conducting commerce. As the Roman empire expanded to included most of the known world at that time, they took their customs, including golden coins, with them into their newly acquired possessions, thus extending the reach of gold into areas where it was virtually unknown before.
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