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Aurum, Gold

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AURUM.
99
(besides silver to an incredible amount) four millions, less seven thousand, of gold darics; each of which weighs one of our guineas (vii. 20).
The annual amount of tribute paid into the treasury of Darius was 14,560 Euboean talents ; out of which Herodotus remarks (iii. 95) that the gold-dust weighed 360 talents. This was paid in by the Indians, and equalled the entire assessment of all the other tributaries. That this "360 talents " signifies the weight appears from its reduction (in the ratio of 13 to 1) to Eubcean talents, in which denomination it came to 4680. This metal was melted down and run into pots of clay, which were then re­moved, and a round ingot (like a Chinese tael) remained until required. Besides this store of ingots, an enormous coinage of darics in fine gold had been issued in this reign, as the tale of Pythius shows, and continued to the epoch of the Macedonian conquest.
The Persians, in the reign of Justinian, had gold-mines at Pharangion in Persarmenia (Procop. Bell. Pers. i. 15). This was probably the source of the gold-dust so plentiful in Colchis in the earliest age of Grecian enterprise; for Pliny has a notice (xxxiii. 15) of " Saulaces king of Colchis, who, having got pos­session of a soil still virgin, extracted an immensity of gold and silver in the region of the Suani, and in other parts of his kingdom famous for the golden fleece." To the present day the Chinese miners in Australia employ sheepskins to collect the gold-dust in their washings.
An interesting account of the Persian treasury is preserved by Athenasus (xii. 514), extracted from the biography of Alexander by Chares of Mitylene : " Close to the king's bed there was over­head a chamber in which were always kept 5000 talents (300,000 lbs. in weight) of coined gold : this was called the king's pillow. At his feet was another chamber, somewhat smaller, where were always kept 3000 talents of silver coin : this was called the king's footstool. In the bedchamber there was a vine in gold, set with gems, spreading above the couch. This vine, according to Amyn-tas, had bunches of grapes made out of the most precious gems."
Polybius describes the Median palace at Ecbatana (x. 27) as having all its timber-work, though of cedar and cypress-wood,
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