Fifth Grade
Worksheets
The Golden Touch of Goldsmithing
Gold has always been a measure of wealth and power. In one Greek myth, King Midas was given a great gift from a god. Midas gained the ability to turn everything he touched into gold! This story has fascinated people for centuries.
Sunshiny gold looks rich and beautiful. Gold is versatile and malleable. Craftsmen can easily shape it into lots of different items. They use gold to make rings, necklaces, bracelets, and bangles. Gold coins have been used by almost every civilization on Earth. Gold symbolizes prosperity in every culture.
The Sumerians loved gold. They made gold jewelry for their royal family in 3000 B.C. Archaeologists discovered these pieces in the ruins of royal tombs of the Mesopotamian city of Ur. This city was located in modern-day Iraq. They found the king's dazzling golden helmet. They found the queen's shiny headdress. They also found earrings, bracelets, and a chain.
The ancient Egyptians also loved gold. They had lots of it in their arid country. They worshipped the sun as the giver of life, so gold represented the yellow light of the sun. They thought of gold as the skin of the gods. Their love of this yellow metal inspired new levels of goldsmithing. They learned how to use fire to test gold's purity. They learned how to mix gold with other metals to change its hardness or color.
