"The Varangian Guard were the best paid of all the Empire's troops. So well paid, in fact that membership had to be purchased. It was quite common for Norsemen to go to Byzantium from all over Scandinavia and Russia, spend time in the Varangian Guard, and return home rich. One such was the future king of Norway, Harald Sigurdson (known as the Ruthless, or inn hardradi) who was to die at the battle of Stamford Bridge in England, 1066.
'Then Harald had a large ox-hide spread out and emptied on to it the gold out of the chests. Scales and weights were brought and the wealth weighed out into two parts, and all who saw it wondered greatly that so much gold could have been brought together into one place in the northen lands. It was in reality wealth belonging to the King of the Greeks, for all men say that there are buildings there filled with red gold' Snorri Sturluson
Red gold? Copper added? Peru? (What was the unique metal Plato spoke about from Atlantis?)