Asturias Gold Museum
Encyclopedia
The Asturias
Gold
Museum a museum dedicated to the mining and uses of gold
, located in the town of Navelgas
in the municipality ("concejo") of Tineo
, Asturias
, Spain
.
The museum is located on La Casona Capalleja in Navelgas, a town where gold has been mined since Roman
times.
itself, including its uses, physical properties, and its natural state. One then sees production methods and world zones of mineral extraction.
Visitors explore an important part of human civilization, i.e. the use by the various civilizations of gold as a valuable asset
, symbol
, and decoration
.
Next, visitors review the importance of gold in the history of mankind. The historical chronology
ranges from the Neolithic Age
to the present. One exhibit showcases the various gold rushes that occurred in California
.
Finally, an area is devoted to gold in Navelgas
. In this area, visitors can see the importance of gold, the importance the industry has had for the local community, and the various methods of gold extraction
that have been used in the area since Roman times.
Gold panning
deserves special attention, because even today it is practiced as a sport with several different championships.
A section of the museum is devoted to the Roman system of mineral extraction. Following a multimedia presentation, visitors leave the field and head toward the central hall of the museum, where the explanation of Roman mining systems is amplified through replicas of their tools used for the extraction of gold. This portion of the museum shows the process of separating gold, accessories, and trophies.
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
Museum a museum dedicated to the mining and uses of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, located in the town of Navelgas
Navelgas
Navelgas is one of 44 parishes in Tineo, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain.It is in size, with a population of 467 ....
in the municipality ("concejo") of Tineo
Tineo
- Politics :-Parroquias :-Tourism:The Sacred Art Museum of Tineo is located at the Plaza Alonso Martinez inside the Convento de San Francisco del Monte , a 14th century Roman Catholic church accessible via the AS-217 road.-External links:***...
, Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The museum is located on La Casona Capalleja in Navelgas, a town where gold has been mined since Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
times.
Exhibits
A visit to the museum begins with an explanation of the mineralMineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
itself, including its uses, physical properties, and its natural state. One then sees production methods and world zones of mineral extraction.
Visitors explore an important part of human civilization, i.e. the use by the various civilizations of gold as a valuable asset
Asset
In financial accounting, assets are economic resources. Anything tangible or intangible that is capable of being owned or controlled to produce value and that is held to have positive economic value is considered an asset...
, symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
, and decoration
Decoration
Decoration may refer to:* Decorative arts, the craft of a house painter and decorator.* An object or act intended to increase beauty of a person, room, etc....
.
Next, visitors review the importance of gold in the history of mankind. The historical chronology
Chronology
Chronology is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time, such as the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the determination of the actual temporal sequence of past events".Chronology is part of periodization...
ranges from the Neolithic Age
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
to the present. One exhibit showcases the various gold rushes that occurred in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Finally, an area is devoted to gold in Navelgas
Navelgas
Navelgas is one of 44 parishes in Tineo, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northern Spain.It is in size, with a population of 467 ....
. In this area, visitors can see the importance of gold, the importance the industry has had for the local community, and the various methods of gold extraction
Gold extraction
Gold extraction or recovery from its ores may require a combination of comminution, mineral processing, hydrometallurgical, and pyrometallurgical processes to be performed on the ore....
that have been used in the area since Roman times.
Gold panning
Gold panning
Gold panning, or simply panning, is a form of placer mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts because of its cheap cost and the relatively simple and easy process involved. It is the...
deserves special attention, because even today it is practiced as a sport with several different championships.
A section of the museum is devoted to the Roman system of mineral extraction. Following a multimedia presentation, visitors leave the field and head toward the central hall of the museum, where the explanation of Roman mining systems is amplified through replicas of their tools used for the extraction of gold. This portion of the museum shows the process of separating gold, accessories, and trophies.