Gold processing | Refining, Smelting Purifying | Britannica
By 2000 bc the process of purifying goldsilver alloys with salt to remove the silver was developed. The mining of alluvial deposits and, later, lode or vein deposits required crushing prior to gold extraction, and this consumed immense amounts of manpower. By ad 100, up to 40,000 slaves were employed in gold mining in Spain.