Silver. What people have experienced when I first touched this metal? Funk from the mysterious flickering in the moonlight accidentally lifted from the earth nugget. Or maybe people have noticed how quickly heal wounds, bathed in rainwater accumulated on an unusual white stone. It is not known when the person was first acquaintance with this metal, but more than six thousand years he accompanies people, decorating and make our lives easier.

The first major source of silver production in the history of the world has become a region of Anatolia (modern Turkey). Here, to this day remains of mines, who gave the precious metal for the formation of the ancient states of Europe and Asia. Silver Anatolia was one of the sources of prosperity legendary Minoan civilization, which became the center of Mediterranean trade in the late third millennium BC.

After the catastrophic destruction of Crete in 1600 BC and the fall of the Minoan civilization, the center of silver production is gradually moving to Greece. From 1200 BC. e. leading center of silver production for the rapidly developing Greek civilization and the entire world trade, steel shafts Laurium (near Athens). Raising the political authority of Athens, as a result of a successful fight against the Persians in the V century BC. e., and has led to the growth of their cultural identity. The Greeks are leaders in many fields of art, including in jewelry. Graceful articles of clothing decorated the rich Greeks, silver objects served ritual purposes in temples and of course silver minted coins. Portraits of kings and tyrants, of gods and great men of his time, as in the history books, preserved for us these little circles, welcome to people of all ages. Greek stater * for many years becoming the most popular coin not only in the Mediterranean region, but also in other parts of Europe, Asia and Africa.

At the beginning of the 1st millennium BC silver with Greek colonists, develop the Black Sea coast, enters the Black Sea steppes. Scythians, however, there was a legend of the northern nations in the land which the set of white metal. The Greeks have heard stories about the Scythians silver statue in human growth, dedicated to the goddess of the people. They said that the people in those lands worshiped the moon, considering it his patroness, that they can see in the dark, and therefore more likely to hunt at night. What they are hospitable and welcoming, but the temple, where the statue of others is not allowed, but only sometimes a sign of great favor to the guests give them silver jewelry. Many such jewelry is stored in the temple, as a gift of their patroness. But to find this temple, where there is a statue of the sacred, no one can, because it is in the mountains covered by dense forests.

But really the main supplier of silver for developing trade with the Scythian tribes became Greece. Along with coins here penetrate and beautiful jewelry bearing the glory of the Greek masters to all the nations of the world. Later, the Greek colony of Olbia, Chersonesos and others begin to mint coins and their local scenes.

During the heyday of Greek mining (600 BC - 300 BC), when the mine Laurium were at the peak of their performance, they produce up to 30 tons of silver a year.

The next major center for silver mining became Spain. First, under the authority of Carthage, and then, after the Punic Wars, under the authority of Rome, it acquires global leadership. Despite the opening of this period a significant amount of silver deposits in continental Europe, the Spanish silver mines provided most of the needs of the Roman Empire, until its wreckage.

By the beginning of the 3rd century BC Coinage metals mainly in Rome was the bronze. From it were made Solid coins - Assy, serves as the basis of monetary circulation of the Roman Republic. One Ass equal in weight to the Roman pound (327.45 grams). From about 338 BC Rome begin minting coins of silver. 1/72 part of a penny a pound gets a name, which, together with the Roman lenionerami begins to conquer the world. Title dinar survived to the present time as a shorthand "D", which denotes pfening and "d" for the English penny.

From the year 300 BC. e. and 1000 AD significant fluctuations in annual production, which amounted to 45 tonnes a year, did not happen. Revenue growth offset the decline of the Spanish silver mining in Laurium and Asia Minor.

From the second millennium BC silver production is continuously increasing. It was promoted as the discovery of new deposits and the continuous improvement of production methods. Invaluable contribution to the development of technology have made medieval alchemists who considered the ancestor of all the silver metal.

SMALL alchemical REDD

When pure red sulfur comes into contact with a live silver in the womb of the earth, long or short it is conceived of gold, or of the duration [of contact], or from the digestion, which establish thou nature. When pure and white sulfur is contacted with live silver in clean soil conceived silver, which is different from gold in that the sulfur gold - red and silver - belaya.Kogda, however, the red sulfur Corrupted and burnt include in contact with the living in the land of silver, copper conceived, which does not differ from the gold does, except that the sulfur in gold healthy, and here [copper] - porchenaya.Kogda white sulfur, Corrupted and burnt, comes into contact with a live silver in the ground well conceived tin. It is (as determined experimentally) crunches on the lips and easily liquefies. And it happens because silver was living poorly mixed seroy.Kogda white sulfur, Corrupted and burnt, comes into contact with a live silver in the fetid earth conceived zhelezo.Kogda, finally, sulfur, iron and Corrupted, comes into contact with live silver, lead conceived. Lead, as Aristotle said, the lepers zoloto.Ved all metals come from living silver and sulfur. So, if there is a live silver mother of all metals.
The collapse of the great empires arose on the ruins of the Roman Empire and the great migration of peoples led to the destruction of the foundations of the ancient statehood. It was a time when medieval Europe fragmented into many small states, was in a state of incessant wars. Every ruler minted its own coins, and the best way to cover the growing costs, considered the issuance of coins with less silver content. Therefore, despite the significant increase in silver production, the quality of the silver coins in this period has deteriorated significantly. Flourished counterfeiting. There was an urgent need for uniform criteria for quality silver alloys.
In 1154, ascended the English throne, King Henry II, the first of the dynasty Plantagenotov tried to regain the people's trust in the currency of their country. England at that time had extensive trade links with the lands in northern Germany. Selling cattle English farmers were paid with coins, which were silver and copper alloy (92.5% silver and 7.5% copper). The English soon noticed that these coins, which they called "coins Easterlings" (the title of one of the Germanic lands) were of high quality and hardness. The king decided to establish such an alloy as the standard for English currency. He hired smelters from Easterling and created the conditions for the production of coins in England. Silver, which produced these professionals came into use as currency in 1158 and was eventually adopted as the standard alloy everywhere in England. Real name "Silver Easterling" later became known simply as "sterling silver", for many years became the standard of quality for all of Europe. The British currency was almost exclusively silver until 1344, when the gold noble ** was successfully introduced into circulation. However, until 1816 silver legally remain the basis of the British currency.
* Stater (from the Greek yoke, scales) - the name of the ancient Greek weight unit is equal to 1/50 yavsheysya mines (436.6 g.), And later became the name of the monetary unit. Staters minted from electrum, gold and silver. Different countries have different coin weight from 14 to 16 grams. In the Greco-Roman system of weights stater yalyalsya 1/2 oz.

** Noble (Eng. Noble- noble it. Nobel Schiffsnobel), British gold coin, first minted English king Edward III (1327-1377 gg.) In 1344 in memory of the victory in the naval battle of Slyui over the French.

To be continued ...