In the ancient times of Egypt, gold was a thing of fascination. Their interest in gold dates back more 5,500 years in history. The Egyptian's obsession with gold is greatly responsible for mankind's thirst for it in current times. Gold was a thing of spiritual value as well as a form of currency in Egyptian culture for thousands of years.
Gold was also used ornamentally to adorn people and important objects that were considered to be high in rank.
The use of gold in ancient Egypt was highly centered around spirituality as opposed to the monetary value that many modern cultures attach to it. Egyptians revered gold as the skin of the gods, more especially the god of the sun named Ra. Due to this, gold was often crafted into objects that were spirituality significant. Obelisks, death masks, and statues of the gods were all crafted in solid gold. The association of gold to the ancient Egyptians was the concept of eternity. This made gold popular for funerary objects such as gilded vessels or coffins.
Even though the Egyptians perceived gold as a spiritual metal, they still used it as an ornament. The ancient Egyptians also crafted figurines, masks, and jewellery. In the earliest times of ancient Egypt, only the pharaoh was permitted to wear gold. However, over time the right to wear gold extended to priests as well as members of the royal court.
The gold the ancient Egyptian's crafted took the form of gold nuggets which were most likely recovered from alluvial deposits. From the start of the Old Kingdom and throughout the time periods forward, expeditions were organized and sent out to seek gold to mine. Some of these places include the mighty mountains of Nubia and Coptos.