Earth’s first real civilization evaluated everything in terms of cattle. Gold was a commodity like any other commodity, and was counted out in cattle.
There’s nothing wrong with cattle as money, or bricks, or anything else that is durable, has value as a commodity—something that satisfies a real human want. Gold fits that description—it is chemically incorruptible, has utility in industry, art, etc., costs something to find and refine, etc.
Gold happens to be particularly suitable for use as money, in addition to its other uses as a commodity.
The fundamental point is—whenever a government slaps marks or ink on something, and forces people to accept it as money with a value in trade that is way out of proportion to its value as a commodity, it is only a matter of time until its value as money sinks to the level of its value as a commodity—precisely because the motives for government to allow this to happen are irresistible. They are counterfeiters who know they can keep out of jail.
The ONLY reason we are off the Gold Standard is that only a tiny minority of the people have ever given fifteen consecutive seconds of thought to the whole issue of money—what money really is, how fiat money is an instrument of larceny, etc. They have no deeper thought about “money” than that it’s that paper with the fancy designs on it.
Like Roe v. Wade, “soaking the rich,” Social Security, etc., our fiat money is a crime committed in broad daylight.