372 17·Gold coins was somewhat impaired because of the variation in the composition of electrum.Eventually,under the reign of the Egyptian King Croesus of Lydia (560-546 B.C.),purification of gold was accomplished and the quality and weight of gold coins were certified by the government.Similar minting was eventu- ally adopted by the Greeks and finally also by the Romans.The latter used iron dies which were more resistant against wear com- pared to the bronze dies that were used by the Greeks and Egyp- tians.In contrast to this,the Chinese issued square-holed bronze coins utilizing essentially the same size and shape for almost 2,500 years until the twentieth century. In conclusion,gold was probably known to and valued by mankind as early as during the Neolithic or even the Mesolithic time periods because of its color,luster,ductility,its inertness to environmental interactions,and its availability in the native state. Gold played a major role in mythology and folklore and allowed beautiful pieces of art to come into existence.On the other hand, gold also brought hardship,pain,and tears to many people around the world because of the desire for its possession. Suggestions for Further Study L.Aitchison,A History of Metals,Wiley,New York (1960). R.W.Boyle,Gold,History and the Genesis of Deposits,Nostrand Reinhold,Inc.,New York (1987). T.A.Rickard,Man and Metals,Arno,New York (1974).coins was somewhat impaired because of the variation in the composition of electrum. Eventually, under the reign of the Egyptian King Croesus of Lydia (560–546 B.C.), purification of gold was accomplished and the quality and weight of gold coins were certified by the government. Similar minting was eventu￾ally adopted by the Greeks and finally also by the Romans. The latter used iron dies which were more resistant against wear com￾pared to the bronze dies that were used by the Greeks and Egyp￾tians. In contrast to this, the Chinese issued square-holed bronze coins utilizing essentially the same size and shape for almost 2,500 years until the twentieth century. In conclusion, gold was probably known to and valued by mankind as early as during the Neolithic or even the Mesolithic time periods because of its color, luster, ductility, its inertness to environmental interactions, and its availability in the native state. Gold played a major role in mythology and folklore and allowed beautiful pieces of art to come into existence. On the other hand, gold also brought hardship, pain, and tears to many people around the world because of the desire for its possession. L. Aitchison, A History of Metals, Wiley, New York (1960). R.W. Boyle, Gold, History and the Genesis of Deposits, Nostrand Reinhold, Inc., New York (1987). T.A. Rickard, Man and Metals, Arno, New York (1974). 372 17 • Gold Suggestions for Further Study