Why Gold?

The periodic table lists 118 different chemical elements. And yet, for thousands of years, humans have really, really liked one of them in particular: gold. Gold has been used as money for millennia, and its price has been going through the roof.
Why gold? Why not osmium, lithium, or ruthenium?
I learned the answer to this fascinating question from NPR radio. Attached is the link and it takes less than 5 minutes of listening.  
The bottom line is that if we could turn back the wheels of time, gold would have receive once more its special role in human history.

I took these photos of ancient gold jewelry at the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto, Italy






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