Gold was among the first metals to be mined

Throughout the ages men and women have cherished
gold, and many have had a compelling desire to
amass great quantities of it—so compelling a desire,
in fact, that the frantic need to seek and hoard gold
has been aptly named “gold fever.”

Gold was among the first metals to be mined
because it commonly occurs in its native form, that is,
not combined with other elements, because it is beautiful
and imperishable, and because exquisite objects
can be made from it. Artisans of ancient civilizations
used gold lavishly in decorating tombs and temples,
and gold objects made more than 5,000 years ago
have been found in Egypt. Particularly noteworthy are
the gold items discovered by Howard Carter and Lord
Carnarvon in 1922 in the tomb of Tutankhamun. This
young pharaoh ruled Egypt in the 14th century B.C.
An exhibit of some of these items, called “Treasures
of Tutankhamun” attracted more than 6 million visitors
in six cities during a tour of the United States in
1977-79.