Professor Alan Ereira explores gold not in the usual context of “wealth and art,” but as a force so fundamental it has often gone unnoticed.

Drawing on recent discoveries and a South American indigenous perspective, Ereira offers a new way of understanding the history of civilization through the history of gold.

As gold flowed west to east, hand to hand across the world, it enabled empires to grow and collapse, drove plunder, conquest, and colonization. It sparked wars and revolutions, empowered new forms of art and science, and created the capitalist consumer economy that dominates us today.

Our gold mountain has doubled in the last fifty years, and prices rise even faster. In this skilfully woven history, Alan Ereira reveals how gold as the hidden actor has shaped our story. What does gold do that makes us want it so much? 

Alan Ereira was Professor of Practice at the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David, and founder/chairman of the Tairona Heritage Trust. He is an award-winning producer and director of many historical documentaries, mostly for the BBC.

For history lovers and seekers of stories behind power, wealth, and human ambition

Age recommendation 14+