How were gold coins made in ancient Egypt?

The ancient Egyptians did not use money and did not mint coins. The main medium of exchange was grain. Farmers paid their taxes by handing over a share of their crops after each harvest to the royal granaries. This grain was stored until needed. read more

Gold coin of Ptolemy I, circa 300 BCE. Greek coins, and presumably the Egyptian ones too, were hand-made. A die made of a hard metal like iron or bronze was carved with the inverted design for the obverse of the coin. The design for the reverse of the coin was likewise carved into a metal punch. read more

Electrum (the natural alloy of gold and silver) was used in jewellery by the Egyptians from 5000 BCE. Gold jewellery was worn by both men and women in the Sumer civilization around 3000 BCE and gold chains were first produced in the city of Ur in 2500 BCE. read more

There were Egyptian Coins assigned to Cleopatra’s father (Ptolemy XII), her uncle (Ptolemy, King of Cyprus), her brother (Ptolemy XIV), sister (Arsinoe IV), Cleopatra VII, etc. Barter system The barter system was prevalent in first half of ancient Egyptian era. read more