The history of mankind has been significantly affected by gold. He’s changed from being a hunter gatherer, to becoming a man who values wealth and is driven by capitalism. When Paleolithic Man discovered gold in a piece he found, it was nearly 40,000 years old. It had never been used by man to develop tools that would meet his first needs such as arrows, spears, or for farming purposes. Its malleability and soft nature meant that it wasn’t much used by early man. It was discovered that bronze, along with silver, had been discovered approximately 10,000 years after the discovery of gold. A gold IRA works exactly like any retirement account with the added benefit that it provides you more control over your investment to include physical gold coins and bars and other IRS approved silver, platinum and palladium metals.
Silver is much more expensive than bronze. As the system of trade did not allow for gold, nor did it use it, early man saw the bright yellow illumination object as valuable. Most likely, gold was used in some form to make jewelry and scare the enemy during war. Only recently, around 5000 years old, was the first time that social status was defined. When man realized that gold was a rare and precious metal, he began using it for art and for worship. As a mark or power and richness, gold became a prerogative to the elite and the powerful. Gold is considered incorruptible, without blemish. Some cultures associate gold with the power to the sun. The Aztecs and Incas believed that the sun gave birth to gold, considering it to have been its sweat and excretion. The powerful and rich Egyptians considered that all kings were direct descendents of the sun. Gold was also the only flesh of that king. These ancient empires had their cultures and civilizations greatly influenced by gold. In 3000 BC, the Egyptians became the first to establish a monetary system made entirely of silver and gold. Their influence and power on the Nile grew after the discovery the Nubian goldmines. The first true great empire was established by the exploitation of the Nubian mining resources. The Egyptians developed a system of economics that included the first monetary currency based solely on gold and Silver. They also created an economic order that relied on currency and not barter.
Trade, the development of barter
Although man realized that he can’t provide for all his needs, he still understood the importance trade. Even when money was scarce, people traded whatever they could find. People would trade fruits, shells, crops and everything that had some value. This system of trade we now refer to as barter was born. Man could trade a hunt for wine with another person, as well as clothes and wine for all the tools he might need. The main commodity of trade in Asia was cattle. Oxen and cows were used to exchange goods and services. This created specializations in trade which led to men living in societies in which each man had a place in the bigger picture. An example of this is a potter who can still go to the east and learn how to plant crops. A winemaker, on the other hand, would be able to get the pitchers necessary to store his wine. What we call society was born out of a common form for sustenance. Some societies still use items to trade, even though money is scarce in many countries. Precious Metals arrived after cattle. They started as a supplementary exchange form and slowly became the primary form.
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