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Gold is physically and metaphorically one of the most malleable metals on the planet: one gram of gold can be beaten into a 1-square meter sheet, and gold has been used as a symbol for everything from devotion to wealth and power.
Some think that gold might have been the first metal ever used by humans; prospecting for gold was common for centuries before it was ever used as money. One of the early uses of gold was the worship and glorification of gods and idols. This was a worldwide phenomenon, evident on every continent where the element was naturally present. Gold was used extensively in religious ceremonies and burial rituals across a wide variety of belief systems. The metal's importance is also evident in the Greek myth of King Midas, who requested that the gods give him the power to create gold from any substance using only his touch. The Romans came to use gold extensively in jewelry and eventually adopted gold rings as a symbol of romantic engagement. Biblical references to gold helped...