174 NATURAL HISTORY OF PRECIOUS METALS, &c.
weight
of gold collected by the Lydian washers (who appear speedily to have
exhausted the deposit, as the productiveness of the Pactolian sands is
not afterwards alluded to by geographers), from the list of the Donaria
consecrated by Alyattes and Croesus at various temples in Asia and
Greece, all of which Herodotus had himself examined. This gold is
properly termed by Sophocles Electrum, being very pale (similar
to the Californian) from the large native alloy of silver it contains.
As it is a very difficult operation in metallurgy to separate this
silver, the earliest coinage, ascribed with justice to the Lydians, and
the oldest jewelry, as the Egyptian and Etruscan, is made in this pale
gold. In fact, it continued to be used in the currency of the Greek
cities of Asia Minor (Oyzicus, &c.) down to the times of Alexander
: perhaps it was found to wear better in circulation through the
existence of the native alloy; and the saving of the expense in
refining it was of importance to the mint. But it was from ignorance of
the necessary process that the currency of the Gauls and Britons was
struck in the gold just as it comes from the washings, which in these
regions is of very strong alloy, containing a good deal of copper as
woll as silver.
Herodotus
(iii. 16) states it as a well known fact that there was an abundance of
Gold found in the North of Europe, but had been quite unable to
ascertain anything as to the mode in which it was procured, treating as
quite unworthy of credit the tale of the Arimaspi, the one-eyed race,
stealing it from the custody of the Gryphons. By North of Europe the
North-east is intended, for his Arimaspi are placed to the east of the
Araxes beyond the Issedones. Neighbouring upon the latter are his
Mas-sagetae (i. 201), who have gold and copper in abundance, but
neither silver nor iron. From these geographical data
