Gold in Cape Town – Part 2

This extract is from ‘Travel Tales from Exotic Places like Salford’

The Egyptian pharaohs believed that their claim for immortality would be enhanced by the radiance of their gold jewellery hence the preponderance of the metal in their tombs. It’s amazing to realize that although Tutankhamen was only a minor pharaoh, his 2-metre long coffin was made of solid gold and his head was enveloped in a gold portrait mask.

There were many other gold objects in that tomb including a gold throne. The visitor can only wonder at the treasures that must have been buried with an important pharaoh such as Ramesses II.

The first pure gold coin was produced during the reign of Croesus of Lydia (561 – 546 BC) – he was said to have sent 3,400 kg of gold to decorate the temple at Delphi. Kush, the ancient land between the Nile and The Red Sea, was,  between 800-700BC, one of the richest countries in the known world and produced 1,600,000 kg of pure gold. Kush even invaded neighbouring Egypt around 700BC and seized control of Thebes.