Platinum, the lustrous white metal that today symbolizes luxury and technological advancement, has a history reaching back thousands of years into antiquity.

While this precious metal would not be formally recognized by Western science until the 18th century, ancient civilizations unknowingly worked with platinum in their most sacred and valuable artifacts. From the hieroglyph-adorned caskets of Egyptian royalty to the sophisticated metalwork of pre-Columbian South American cultures, platinum left its mark on human history long before its true nature was understood.

This article explores the fascinating journey of platinum through the ancient era (3000 BCE – 500 CE), revealing how this enigmatic metal was encountered, worked, and incorporated into the material culture of early civilizations, despite remaining a mystery to those who used it.

Read about the platinum group metals (PGMs) here, and the other critical raw materials (CRMs) here. The complete history of platinum can be found here. Find the complete history of all platinum group metals here.

A History Of Platinum In The Ancient Era (3000 BCE – 500 CE)

The history of platinum in the ancient world is one of accidental discovery and unintentional use. Unlike gold and silver, which were deliberately sought and refined, platinum appeared as an unwanted companion to other precious metals, particularly in gold deposits. Ancient metallurgists, lacking the technology to identify or properly work with platinum’s extremely high melting point, often viewed it as an impurity or nuisance. Yet despite this lack of understanding, platinum found its way into some of the most significant artifacts of ancient civilizations, from Egyptian burial goods to sophisticated pre-Columbian jewelry, leaving traces that modern science would later identify and marvel at.

Chronology

• c. 915-780 BCE – The earliest known evidence of platinum use discovered at Las Balsas archaeological site near La Tolita, Ecuador, where a sheet of gold was found containing platinum, marking the first documented instance of platinum in human artifacts [1]
• c. 700 BCE – The famous Casket of Thebes created in Upper Egypt, decorated with gold, silver, and platinum hieroglyphs bearing the name of Shepenupet II, an Egyptian princess and Divine Adoratrice of Amun of the 25th Dynasty [1, 2]
• c. 700-600 BCE – Egyptian artisans unknowingly incorporate platinum into gold jewelry and artifacts, with the platinum likely arriving as a natural component in gold ores imported from Nubian mines [3]
• c. 600 BCE – The La Tolita-Tumaco culture begins to develop in the coastal region of Southern Colombia and Northern Ecuador, eventually becoming master metalworkers in gold and platinum [4]
• c. 600 BCE – 200 CE – The La Tolita-Tumaco culture flourishes, creating sophisticated platinum artifacts including nose rings, ceremonial items, and jewelry using advanced techniques including platinum-gold alloys [4, 5]
• c. 500 BCE – 350 CE – Major phases of the Tumaco-La Tolita tradition, during which they develop techniques for working with platinum including the production of extremely fine rectangular wire and bimetallic tumbaga alloys [5]
• c. 325 BCE – La Tolita artisans create very fine rectangular gold wire, approximately 12μ by 40μ in section, possibly made by cutting fine hammered gold foil, demonstrating advanced metalworking skills [6]
• c. 200-400 CE – The La Tolita culture reaches its climax of stylistic maturity, establishing villages centered around plazas with earthen mounds (tolas) and creating elaborate platinum-gold artifacts [7]
• c. 100 BCE – Native South Americans in areas near modern-day Esmeraldas, Ecuador begin producing artifacts of white gold-platinum alloy for ceremonial purposes [3]
• c. 100 BCE – 100 CE – Pre-Columbian cultures create platinum nose rings and other ceremonial items by hammering grains of alluvial platinum or platinum-gold alloys; Researchers determine that pre-Columbian nose rings and ceremonial items from northern Ecuador were fashioned by hammering grains of alluvial platinum [8]
• 200 CE – The La Tolita culture’s major production of platinum artifacts ends, though some archaeological evidence suggests the culture may have continued until 350-600 CE [4, 9]
• c. 350 CE – Decline of the major phases of the Tumaco-La Tolita tradition, though some archaeologists argue the culture endured until 600 CE in diminished form [8]
• c. 400-500 CE – Late period platinum working continues in Ecuador region, with techniques for platinum plating on gold pendants involving 25 μm thick foil of platinum grains sintered with gold-silver alloy [6]

Final Thoughts

The ancient history of platinum reveals a metal that was both present and absent in human consciousness for millennia. While ancient civilizations from Egypt to pre-Columbian Ecuador incorporated platinum into their most precious artifacts, they did so without understanding its true nature.

The La Tolita-Tumaco culture’s sophisticated platinum-working techniques, developed centuries before European science could even identify the metal, stand as testament to human ingenuity and empirical knowledge gained through generations of metalworking tradition. The story of platinum in antiquity ultimately illustrates how materials can shape human culture even when their fundamental properties remain mysterious, and how modern scientific analysis continues to unveil the hidden achievements of our ancestors.

As we now use platinum in everything from catalytic converters to cancer treatments, we follow in the footsteps of ancient artisans who first recognized something special in this enigmatic white metal.

Thanks for reading!

References

[1] Marcellin Berthelot platinum analysis of Casket of Thebes 1901 – https://www.jewelpedia.net/the-history-of-platinum/

[2] The History of Platinum origins and 18th century recognition – https://blog.stuller.com/platinum-metal-history/

[3] Ancient Egyptian and pre-Columbian platinum use – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platinum

[4] Tumaco-La Tolita culture platinum metallurgy 600 BCE-200 CE – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumaco-La_Tolita_culture

[5] La Tolita-Tumaco master metalsmiths scholarly analysis – https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/latin-american-antiquity/article/abs/la-tolitatumaco-culture-master-metalsmiths-in-gold-and-platinum/93BD10270762B074913EBBD01F44C610

[6] Pre-Columbian fine gold wire production techniques – https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259908879_The_La_Tolita-Tumaco_Culture_Master_Metalsmiths_in_Gold_and_Platinum

[7] La Tolita cultural development and village structures – https://www.oakridgeauctiongallery.com/post/la-tolita-tumaco-fragments-of-identity

[8] Tumaco-La Tolita chronology and decline – https://vilcek.org/art/tumaco-la-tolita-head-fragment-with-perforated-labret/