17 Gold Man's relationship to gold has always been quite different from his association to stone,copper,bronze,or iron.Because of this a separate chapter is dedicated to this metal.If iron is consid- ered to be the metal of strength and will,gold may be perceived to appeal,instead,to the forces of the heart.In antiquity,gold was the metal of the gods and was used to create religious ves- sels,utensils,and sculptures,but also ornaments and articles for adornment.In some ancient cultures,gold was not owned by in- dividuals but belonged to the gods and their representatives on earth.Many poets have lauded gold,which they associated with the sun and its warmth and with wisdom. Eventually,however,gold became the symbol of wealth and monetary stability.To satisfy the lust for gold and thus provide the means for a luxurious living for a few selected people and to have the means to pay soldiers,the most brutal wars have been fought and atrocities were committed.Two examples of such be- havior are that of the ancient Romans and of the conquistadors who came to South and Central America.The power and wealth of empires such as those of the Sumerians,the Egyptians,the British,the Mesopotamians,or the Romans were largely based on their possession of gold and their trade with it. Today,about 60%of the world's gold (i.e.,38 million kg)is said to be held by governments and central banks.It is suppos- edly used to back the paper currencies of their respective nations U.S government sources claim that Fort Knox holds currently (May 1996)$54.9 X 109 worth of gold.Nevertheless,the rumor stubbornly persists that only a small portion of this gold remains presently at Fort Knox.Most of it is said to have been shipped to London in 1967/68 by the Johnson administration and was sold there in an ill-fated attempt to keep the price of gold at $35 per ounce.Despite numerous attempts by concerned citizens, who even offered to pay for an audit of the gold reserves,no such17 Man’s relationship to gold has always been quite different from his association to stone, copper, bronze, or iron. Because of this, a separate chapter is dedicated to this metal. If iron is consid￾ered to be the metal of strength and will, gold may be perceived to appeal, instead, to the forces of the heart. In antiquity, gold was the metal of the gods and was used to create religious ves￾sels, utensils, and sculptures, but also ornaments and articles for adornment. In some ancient cultures, gold was not owned by in￾dividuals but belonged to the gods and their representatives on earth. Many poets have lauded gold, which they associated with the sun and its warmth and with wisdom. Eventually, however, gold became the symbol of wealth and monetary stability. To satisfy the lust for gold and thus provide the means for a luxurious living for a few selected people and to have the means to pay soldiers, the most brutal wars have been fought and atrocities were committed. Two examples of such be￾havior are that of the ancient Romans and of the conquistadors who came to South and Central America. The power and wealth of empires such as those of the Sumerians, the Egyptians, the British, the Mesopotamians, or the Romans were largely based on their possession of gold and their trade with it. Today, about 60% of the world’s gold (i.e., 38 million kg) is said to be held by governments and central banks. It is suppos￾edly used to back the paper currencies of their respective nations. U.S government sources claim that Fort Knox holds currently (May 1996) $54.9 109 worth of gold. Nevertheless, the rumor stubbornly persists that only a small portion of this gold remains presently at Fort Knox. Most of it is said to have been shipped to London in 1967/68 by the Johnson administration and was sold there in an ill-fated attempt to keep the price of gold at $35 per ounce. Despite numerous attempts by concerned citizens, who even offered to pay for an audit of the gold reserves, no such Gold