[Avodah] The shape of the Menorah of the Temple

[Zev Sero]

Micha Berger wrote:

> I don't really see the question. Straight branches would require an 11th
> daily neis in the BHMQ, as 24 kt gold would bend. I would deduce from
> the absence of this item from the list of nissim that the menorah had
> a shape that better distributed the stress on a soft metal. Something
> close to parabolic.

Was the menorah made from 24 Kt gold?  When were the refining techniques
for obtaining pure gold invented?  AIUI, naturally occurring gold is
about 22 Kt; did the ancients even know that this was not "zahav tahor"
and that it was possible to extract the silver from it and increase its
purity?

-- 
Zev Sero                      The trouble with socialism is that you
zev at sero.name                 eventually run out of other people’s money
                                                     - Margaret Thatcher