Tea's Influence in Mongolia and Russia

Tea trade with the western world is generally recognized as starting with the European colonial powers in the late 1500's, but this is not exactly accurate. Prior to the western European trade and expansion, there was a great empire that surpassed even Rome in size and the diversity of countries conquered. The Mongol Empire started with the rise of Genghis Khan in 1206 CE and ended in 1370 CE after multiple civil disruptions and external pressures. While 164 years is not considered remarkable for an empire, the impact the Mongols had was remarkable. Oddly, the one thing that is often forgotten in history is the one item these ancient people took with them when their empire fell. Tea was an item of treasured by the Mongols.

The History of Gold

The suggestions that gold began in the Middle East were made through archeological digs. Around 3000 BC, the Egyptians had mastered the arts of beating gold into gold leaf. They were also alloying other metals with gold in order to achieve certain variations in color and hardness. In Sumeria (now Iraq), gold was used to create a wide variety of jewelry using sophisticated styles that are still being worn today.

Gold became the standard medium of exchange around 1500 BC. The regions of Nubia in Egypt were gold-bearing and made Egypt a very wealthy nation that used gold in international trade. It was also around this time when the Shekel was used as standard of measure in the Middle East. The Shekel was a gold coin weighing about 11.3 grams and contained electrum, an alloy that is naturally occurring and that contained 2/3 gold with 1/3 silver. The testing for purity of gold began with the Babylonian’s use of the fire assay around 1350 BC.