Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-01-10
NINE OF rHK ANc1ENrs.

It appears now almost certain, that
Egypt below. the Cataracts contained
neither gold nor silver mines in ancient
times. There were gold mines on the
eastern side of the Nile in the primitive
districts lying between the Catracts and
the Red Sea, which were worked in the
times of the Ptolomies, and it is more
than probable that they were known
also to the Pharoahs. Since we know
nothing of their actual yield, we may
conclude that the greater part of the
treasures of the old Egyptian kings
must have been brought to Egypt by
commerce, especially from the interior
of Africa or from the mines of Nubia
and Ethiopia, which produced copper
ores in abundance containing gold. Her
odotus speaks Of Ethiopia as Astounding
in gold, and mentions the frontiers OF
Abyssinia and the desert Bisharee as
gold producing. Moreover Belzoni dis
covered very ancient mines in the Zaha-
ra mountains and the ruins Of the build
ings along the road, appear to be Of
Egyptian origin. The more southern
parts of Africa may also have been one
Of the principal sources whence the
Egyptians obtained gold, since the
Greek writer, Cosmas, mentions the
country of Susa as very rich in gold
mines.
According to Herodotus, the people
in the country of Pactycoa, near the
sources Of the Indus, were employed in
the production of gold, and knew Of the
auriferous nature Of the desert steppe of
Cobb. The same author says in another
place: "In the North there is a pro-
digious quantity Of gold, but how it is
produced l am unable to state with GER
tainty." Gmelin, Lepechin and Pallas
discovered very extensive ruins Of an
cient mines on the southeastern borders
of the Ural mountains, and it is stated
as probable that they had been worked
by the nomadic tribes Of the Scythians
before the conquest of Siberia by the
Tartars. Be this as it may, the great
extent of country mentioned as gold
bearing, and the remains Of mining
tools found, 60 to show that the work.
men must have been numerous and only
acquainted with the first rudiments Of
mining, and therefore that the mines are
of great antiquity. Some copper ores
found in these mines show particles Of
gold. 1t may be interesting to state
here that the furnaces observed by
Gmelin to the number of about one
thousand, are two feet high, two feet
broad, and three feet long; some Of them
contained pieces Of molten copper. In
the neighborhood are large heaps Of
sc~oriae; some of the pits are about
twenty fathoms in depth, seven in diam
eter and shaped like a well. Gmelin
also found the remains of ancient silver
mines, and remarks that the lead which
had been present with the silver in the
ore was all left, and that the scoriae
contained only small particles of silver.
We do not know with certainty the
localities Of the ancient gold and silver
mines of India. King mentions the
Dardanians as "a people, who exhibit a
country which is the richest of all India
in gold mines; and the Selians as posses
sing the most abundant mines Of silver"
s'In the country of the N~araeans, on the
other side of the mountain Capitalia,
there are a very great number Of mines,
both of gold and silver, in which the
Indians work very extensively"
The land Of Ophir whence the Phen-
and Jews brought large quanti-
titles of gold, as we have mentioned pre-
.viously, may also have been in India.
In regard to Lydia, Herodotus remarks:
Lydia, unlike most other countries,
scarcely offers any wonders for the his
torian to describe, except gold dust,
is washed down from the range
of the Imolus. Cresus possessed mines,
as Strabo relates, between Pergamus
and Atarnes;.and Herodotus speaking
of the little river Pactolus running by
Sardis, says its sand yielded gold dust.
The reputed richness Of the gold mines
of Armenia induced Alexander to send
Memmon with his forces thither, where
upon they were destroyed by the inhab-
of the country, as Strabo relates.
In regard to Europe it is stated that
the precious metals were first known
there about fifteen centuries before
Christ, and that their use was probably
introduced into Greece by the
According to Strabo,
Cadmus, the Phenician, worked the
frst mines of copper and gold in the
of Pangaens in Thrace, 1.-THE
Able Bartholemy gives the year l54s
before Christi while Herodotus afirms
that mines of silver also were discover
ed there. Of the mines Of the Island
of Thasos, the same author asserts that
in his time they yielded 80 talents Of
gold. The Island of Cyprus had both
gold and silver mines, and their produc-
t~iveness lasted until the time Of the
Romans. The Temple Of Delphi re-
ceived an annual donation in noble
metals, the produce Of the extensive
Of gold and silver in the Island
of Siphnos, and the Island Of Pithecu-
opposite Cuma, yielded gold until
its conquest by the Nespolitans.
The Athenians worked the gold mines
of Thrace and the rich silver mines Of
Attica, and Philip of Macedon, after
having conquered the people on the con-
fines Of Thrace 1858 years before CHRISTI
took possession of its gold mines, and
worked them so well that the yield is
stated to have been a thousand talents
annually. Thessali also yielded rich
gold ores. Italy, according to Pliny,
1yields to no country in abundance Of
ali the several kinds of metals, but it is
forbidden to dig any Of them by an an
cient law of the Senate, which express
ly commands that the mines of Italy
shall be spared" With regard to Up
per Italy, we have no historic proofs
that the present Province Of Aosta yield
ed gold and other metals to the Salassi,
and that by washing the sand Of the
river Pc very pure gold was obtained.
The district of the Noric Alps now lily
rial and the country surrounding Aquil-
Ella, produced at one time so much gold
that the value of this precious metal
was reduced in Rome by one-third.
Moreover, il is asserted that it was Of
such good quality that it lost only one
eighth by the process Of refining: At
the foot Of the Pyrenees, silver and gold
mines were worked by the Tarabelh.
The mines of Hungary, as far as have
been able to ascertain, were not known
before the Christian era. Agricola
speaks of them in the 10th century as