Town (Shaft Mine)

Gold has attracted and fascinated humans since it was first found as a deposit in mountain rivers. As a malleable metal it can be made into virtually anything decorative from jewellery to armour plating, yet its softness makes it useless for tools or weaponry. It is also relatively simple to extract gold from rock as it is pure and easily distinguishable. Initially Rome and Greece had only small deposits but through their conquests gained access to greater supplies. Slaves would toil over six hundred feet below ground in mines that were exploited until they collapsed. The Greeks prized gold so highly that they attempted to turn base metals into gold, an ‘art’ known as alchemy.