The First Gold Coins: Did You Know?

Watch and listen to find out which kingdom is attributed to being the first recorded civilization to use gold coinage as currency.

The First Gold Coins: Did You Know? – Video Transcription

Narrator: 00:09
Gold coins have been used as currency since before the common era. The Romans, Persians, and Greeks all utilized gold coins, but the first recorded instance of people using gold coins as currency dates back to before the second millennium BC. The Lydians were an iron age kingdom located in Anatolia or Asia Minor and are credited with the first use of gold coinage as currency. Ancient mythology states that the Lydians received their gold from the river that King Midas used to wash away his ability to turn things into gold. Heraclitus was an ancient Greek historian credited and supplying much of the information we have on Lydia today and was the one to state that the Lydians were the first men whom we know who coined and used gold and silver currency. In his work, Heraclitus also credits the Lydians with the creation of knuckle bones, also known as jacks. In 1390 the Lydian empire fell to Turkish bailiwicks, which were later absorbed into the Ottoman empire. Despite their fall, the Lydian empire legacy lives in many facets of modern society. If you'd like to learn more about gold and its place in history, check out our other “Did You Know?” Videos or call the number on your screen to learn about how you can use gold to protect your assets.