Thanks! As a goldsmith myself I'm fascinated by the evolution of smithing technology by the ancients. For instance, Etruscan granulation, based on making tiny gold beads and adhering them (without solder!) to gold objects like vases to form elaborate patterns, wasn't duplicated in the modern world until around 35 years ago. How the Etruscans achieved it with the "primitive" ovens of their time implies enormous skill and metallurgical knowledge.
It also implies a reservoir of knowledge from which it was developed, possibly Thrace. I'll follow this one with great interest! If anyone comes up with images of the beads please post 'em!
I know how to make tiny gold beads of uniform size but mass-producing the other shapes mentioned -- "spheres, cylinders, whorls and octahedrons like double-headed pyramids" -- is fascinating.