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→Early Use of Gold
By the early 3rd millennium BC, gold becomes symbolic with royal authority in Egypt. Expeditions were now organized for mines containing gold. In the Indus, by the 3rd millennium BC, and likely earlier, gold was also utilized extensively, reflecting its increased importance for elites and trade. Similar to other regions, gold was generally found as part of electrum, which is also a natural alloy.
In the New World, the region of the Andes, in Peru specifically, has the earliest dated gold finds, where objects date to around 2000 BC have been found. Interestingly, these early gold finds are in the form of jewelry and found in burial context, similar to the Old World discoveries. This could suggest, similar to other regions, that as social hierarchy and stratification became established, gold was one object that differentiated the status of humans within society. In other words, gold becomes associated with wealth and power soon after it begins to be used(Figure 2). [[File:Peru Zeremonialmesser Sican EthnM.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 2. A ceremonial knife from Peru, dated to 850-1500 AD, showing that gold developed independently in the New World. ]]
==Role in Society==
