Gold
A Cultural Encyclopedia
Shannon L. Venable


This encyclopedia provides detailed information about the historical, cultural, social, religious, economic, and scientific significance of gold, across the globe and throughout history.

Gold has long been valued, revered, and assigned mythical properties in nearly every culture in the world, and has served as the basis for currency for countless societies. Just the word itself implies perfection, crowning achievement, purity, and wisdom—"golden era," "gold medal," "golden years," "heart of gold." What makes this material so special?

Gold has been an intrinsic part of human culture and society throughout the world, both in ancient times and in the modern era. This precious metal has also played a central role in economics and politics throughout history. In fact, the value of gold remains a topic of debate amid the current upheavals of economic conditions and attendant reevaluations of modern financial principles.

Gold: A Cultural Encyclopedia consists of more than 130 entries that encompass every aspect of gold, ranging from the ancient metallurgical arts to contemporary economies. The connections between these interdisciplinary subjects are explored and analyzed to highlight the many ways humankind's fascination with gold reflects historical, cultural, economic, and geographic developments. While the majority of the works related to gold focus on economic theory, this text goes beyond that to take a more sociocultural approach to the subject.