The best gold treasure found in Korea

Korea's representative golden treasures include the Silla gold crown and the gilt-bronze Mirok Bodhisattva and were considered the best. However, in June 2022, the National Palace Museum of Korea revealed to the media the treasures unearthed in Gyeongju city. 

The name of the treasure is '선각단화쌍조문금박(seon-gag-dan-hwa-ssang-jo-mun-geum-pak)'. It measures 3.6cm in width and 1.17cm in length and is 0.04mm thick, and it is a relic from the Silla period in Korea. 

What is surprising is the skill of the craftsman who handled gold. The thickness of the line drawn on the pattern is 0.05mm, which is similar to the thickness of hair. How did someone engrave the delicate patterns that are difficult draw even with a microscope? 

Even more surprising is the purity of this gold. Only 200 years after the Industrial Revolution in Europe, 99.99% pure gold was produced through electrochemical decomposition. By the way, this treasure is a relic from 1300years ago. Pure gold with a purity of 99.99% can be made by electrochemical decomposition technology. In this world, there has never been a golden artifact with a purity greater than 90%. There are many artifacts that are less than 50%. This is the first discovery. I wonder how the ancient Silla people made this.