Gold captivated humanity from the moment it was discovered.
It didn't rust or decay.
It was beautiful and rare.
It was malleable enough to shape into coins or jewelry.
Gold became a universal symbol of wealth — from Egyptian pharaohs to Aztec kings.
Around 600 BCE, the ancient kingdom of Lydia (modern-day Turkey) minted the world's first standardized gold coins.
Now, for the first time, people could carry value in their pockets.
Trade flourished. Markets exploded. Civilizations boomed.
Gold coins solved many problems:
They were durable.They were divisible (you could shave or melt gold into smaller amounts).They were widely accepted.
But carrying heavy gold around wasn't always practical — especially for large transactions.
Imagine trying to buy a house and having to haul a wagon full of gold across the country.
So once again, human innovation stepped in.