<link="topic:gold">Gold</link> occurs in alluvial placers and natural deposits underground. Alluvial elemental gold could be gained by ancient civilizations by washing away the sand particles with water in pans or sieves and then melting the remaining bits of gold. Underground ore was extracted by hand, which required a great deal of manpower, often in the form of slaves. In Egypt, gold-containing quartz veins were heated, then chipped out with hammers and chisels. The quartz was then pulverized in mills and the metal extracted by washing. The gold produced by this method was between 17 and 23.5 carats in purity.

Gold was almost entirely decorative, as it was too weak for crafting functional items such as containers or armor.