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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Curtisimo, post: 2895188, member: 83845&quot;]Gold and silver were valuable to ancient people because they are chemically very stable, just rare enough to have value without being impossible to find, and have low enough melt temperatures to be smelted.&nbsp; We have inherited this legacy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Gold was particularly prized in ancient Egypt because it doesn&#039;t tarnish.&nbsp; Therefore it worked as a perfect religious symbol of worship for the eternal gods (particularly Ra). The prestige of Egypt made it valuable to the people of the Mediterranean and the near east through contact and trade.</p><p><br /></p><p>Silver was prefered by the Greeks because it is more available there and was easier to carry around than the iron rods it replaced for use in transactions.&nbsp; The expansion of Greek culture led to the widespread use of both silver (Greek influence) and gold (eastern influence) as stamped bullion (I.E. coins).</p><p><br /></p><p>The Far East used mostly bronze as cash coins similar to the way we do with modern coins (this happened in the west some as well).&nbsp; The use of gold and silver in the west survived through the Middle Ages and was only within the last century replaced by a system that primarily uses base metals in coins.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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