Alan Ereira

Well, it's wonderful to be here, it really is.

Well, it's wonderful to be here, it really is.

Well, it's wonderful to be here, it really is.

Yes, it has. And it's very extraordinary because gold is itself a very weird substance. The behavior when people discovered gold is extremely weird as well.

Yes, it has. And it's very extraordinary because gold is itself a very weird substance. The behavior when people discovered gold is extremely weird as well.

Yes, it has. And it's very extraordinary because gold is itself a very weird substance. The behavior when people discovered gold is extremely weird as well.

The first thing when they discovered the oldest gold known in the world, which turns out to have been in Bulgaria on the shores of the Black Sea at a holiday resort called Varna, probably wasn't a holiday resort in 4700 BC, but it's quite a while back. That's part of the point. Troy seems, the story of the Trojan War seems a long time ago to us.

The first thing when they discovered the oldest gold known in the world, which turns out to have been in Bulgaria on the shores of the Black Sea at a holiday resort called Varna, probably wasn't a holiday resort in 4700 BC, but it's quite a while back. That's part of the point. Troy seems, the story of the Trojan War seems a long time ago to us.

The first thing when they discovered the oldest gold known in the world, which turns out to have been in Bulgaria on the shores of the Black Sea at a holiday resort called Varna, probably wasn't a holiday resort in 4700 BC, but it's quite a while back. That's part of the point. Troy seems, the story of the Trojan War seems a long time ago to us.

Well, to people living through the Trojan War, this story is as far back again. We are talking about a very, very distant history, pre-history, when it was inconceivable that people were doing metalwork in 4700. And then this turns up, this cemetery, containing hundreds of graves, a fair number of which, over 60, have got gold in them, worked gold.

Well, to people living through the Trojan War, this story is as far back again. We are talking about a very, very distant history, pre-history, when it was inconceivable that people were doing metalwork in 4700. And then this turns up, this cemetery, containing hundreds of graves, a fair number of which, over 60, have got gold in them, worked gold.

Well, to people living through the Trojan War, this story is as far back again. We are talking about a very, very distant history, pre-history, when it was inconceivable that people were doing metalwork in 4700. And then this turns up, this cemetery, containing hundreds of graves, a fair number of which, over 60, have got gold in them, worked gold.

And the graves are very strange and tell you something but it requires quite a lot of interpretation to figure out what it's telling you. There's only one grave which has a human body with a substantial quantity of gold. A third of all the gold that's in this graveyard is on one body. And that one body is quite a tall man compared to the others. He had a gold headdress.

And the graves are very strange and tell you something but it requires quite a lot of interpretation to figure out what it's telling you. There's only one grave which has a human body with a substantial quantity of gold. A third of all the gold that's in this graveyard is on one body. And that one body is quite a tall man compared to the others. He had a gold headdress.

And the graves are very strange and tell you something but it requires quite a lot of interpretation to figure out what it's telling you. There's only one grave which has a human body with a substantial quantity of gold. A third of all the gold that's in this graveyard is on one body. And that one body is quite a tall man compared to the others. He had a gold headdress.

He had a gold scepter in his right hand. And he had a big gold disc. Now, this is where the story begins. And what you're looking at is the coronation regalia that was being used in Westminster Abbey last year.

He had a gold scepter in his right hand. And he had a big gold disc. Now, this is where the story begins. And what you're looking at is the coronation regalia that was being used in Westminster Abbey last year.

He had a gold scepter in his right hand. And he had a big gold disc. Now, this is where the story begins. And what you're looking at is the coronation regalia that was being used in Westminster Abbey last year.

Nearly 7,000 years old, we don't know that the man was a king, except the stuff he's carrying is what we associate with a royal regalia. Why? Where does this idea come from? It comes out of nowhere. There isn't a predecessor to this. And this is where the story of gold actually begins. Now, that cemetery is really a culture we know nothing about. It disappeared from the face of the earth.

Nearly 7,000 years old, we don't know that the man was a king, except the stuff he's carrying is what we associate with a royal regalia. Why? Where does this idea come from? It comes out of nowhere. There isn't a predecessor to this. And this is where the story of gold actually begins. Now, that cemetery is really a culture we know nothing about. It disappeared from the face of the earth.