The Israel Museum presents "White Gold: Revealing the World's Earliest Coins."

Opening May 8, 2012

White Gold provides an intimate glimpse into the dawn of coinage, shedding light on the story of one of the most important innovations in human history. The earliest coins were struck in the late seventh century BCE in the western Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), which was home to many Greek cities. Those early coins were nugget-like in shape and made of electrum, an alloy of gold and silver. Electrum coins are not only historically significant, but also astonishingly beautiful. Reflecting a rich diversity of subjects, they trace the evolution of Greek art from the sixth through the fourth century BCE and draw us magnetically into a vibrant and fascinating iconographic world. The exhibition is curated by Haim Gitler, Curator of Numismatics.