Gold was highly prized in the ancient world. This program shows how gold was central in mythology and art and how money was invented. Featuring ancient Egypt, Rome and Byzantium.
The lust for gold drove Europeans across the ocean to a new world, where conquistadors destroyed whole civilisations in their hunt for the precious metal. From the ashes of the Inca Empire, Europe was awash with stolen gold.
In the Nineteenth Century, prospectors struck gold in California, Australia and South Africa. With fabulous new supplies, gold became the standard by which everything else was measured. But would this golden age last?
