•Gold is found on every continent• Gold has been sought after since the beginning of mankind it is mentioned in the Bible And Greek mythology. For example the tale of Jason and the Golden Fleece • It is to rare to be used as anything other than currency

•The Lydians were the first to use gold as a measure of wealth•The Persians were the first to transfer gold into a currency•The Romans paid their soldiers the equivalent of 2,500 dollars in gold pieces• Slaves were often used to mine for gold

•After the collapse of the Roman Empire gold was not as important in Europe•The Byzantine Empire became fascinated with gold and when the supply of gold in Europe they went to Nubia to get it•Even though Muhammad preached against an obsession with gold the Muslim world became fascinated with it and Conquered and traded with much of the world to get it •The west finally became interested in gold in the year 1000 when the middle ages began and the dark ages ended

•When European countries wanted gold they formed empires to get them•Portugal was the first country to go on the hunt for gold. They conquered the Moorish port city Ceuta, and then went in search of the so called golden river in West Africa but could never find it• Soon Spain became the most powerful nation and was using the Gold they had obtained to Fund the struggle between Catholics and Protestants •England eventually became more powerful because France was constantly fighting Spain for gold Which weakened both Empires•Once the Gold in the Americas was discovered both North and South America were subject to colonization and conquests for gold•Gold was the only thing that Europeans could offer in trade with Asia so most of the world’s goldended up in Asia

•When Czar Alexander the first realized there was gold in the Urals he started mining it along with the gold in Siberia•Most countries used the gold standard by the 1800s, but the United States used the bimetallic standard until 1913• In 1971 President Nixon moved from the Gold Standard to the Flat Money system