History of silver

How was silver discovered?

Silver has been linked to humans since ancient times: it is mentioned in Genesis. The deposits found in Asia Minor and islands of the Aegean Sea indicate that man learned to separate it from lead around the year 3000 BC.

THE EGYPTIANS

The Egyptians made everything from jewelry to household objects with silver, and it is not difficult to imagine the charm that the precious metal caused in these first civilizations. It is mentioned in Genesis, but the earliest documented use by a civilization occurred in the year 3500 B.C., where Menes, the first pharaoh of the Egyptian empire, wrote his Code of Menes, where he established that the value of two parts and a half of silver corresponded to one part of gold.

The Egyptians considered gold as the perfect metal, and related it to the sun, representing it with a circle, and silver as the semi-perfect metal, related to the moon and represented with a semicircle.

THE GREEKS

It was centuries later, in the Greek Empire, in the city of Lydia, where in the year 610 BC the first coin was manufactured, based on the weight of gold and silver alloys. This led to the establishment of the first monetary system, which facilitated the exchange of goods.

The Greeks used silver to make jewelry, ornaments for personal use, and even war instruments. The decorative utensils they manufactured were mostly of a religious nature, and an aura of mystery was created around silver, which was classified, along with gold, as a precious metal and possessor of qualities related to the gods.

THE ROMANS

During the Roman Empire, in 269 BC, the Romans exploited the mines of their vast empire, and created a coinage system based on the weight of silver.

They also perfected work techniques, such as forming thin sheets and cylinders with silver.

Minting houses were inside or near palaces and temples. The secrets of this mining were kept in schools and guilds that functioned as hermetic classes, which could only be entered after passing various tests, including swearing not to share the information learned there.

What does silver mean?

Symbolic meaning of silver.

Silver is in relation to the moon and water, and symbolizes the feminine, as opposed to the masculine that gold represents. … White and luminous, silver is also a symbol of purity, clarity of conscience, frankness and righteousness.

In this way, silver is synonymous with wealth, abundance, brilliance, whiteness, malleability, purity and perfection.

For a long time it was believed that the gods had endowed her with these natural qualities in the likeness of themselves. Silver was sought in the deepest holes in the steepest mountains, and the objects made with it were essential in sacred cults, and identified with authorities of the highest rank: kings, aristocrats and priests. It was often one of the raw materials in the construction of temples.

What is the mystery that precious metals contain?

Vera Valdés Lakowsky, author of Silver in history. From white brilliance to purity and perfection, Find the answer in one word: transmutation. As he writes, “Metals acquire value if they are transmuted, precisely due to their quality of transmuting everything: nature, men, merchandise and even souls; for with gold and silver all things are acquired, heaven and immortality included; In addition, with gold and silver you achieve a good marriage dowry, good status, respect, honor and power.”

In China, gold, silver and copper are considered to have a common origin and their qualities obey the relationship between yin and yang established in Taoism.

Silver was used in talismans related to the Moon, which according to Francis Barret, had these effects: “Whoever wears it will have friends, will be a pleasant person, full of joy and respected, it will eliminate all malice and ill will from the person; he will promote safety in travel, increase wealth and health of the body, drive away enemies…”.

Silver symbolizes the light of the Moon, and is related to the goddess, while gold symbolizes the light of the Sun and the energy of God.