A beautiful ancient lion from a country in the crossroads of continents

Georgia

(Georgia in dark green with Russian occupied territory light green. From Wikipedia).

Georgia is a small country at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Archaeological excavations confirm Georgia is one of the oldest settled regions outside Africa. Recent excavations of Dmanisi have revealed an extraordinary record of the earliest hominid dispersal beyond Africa (1,75 million years ago). Several hominid individuals along with abundant well-preserved remains of fossil animals and stone artefacts have been found. Two of these individuals have been named Mzia and Zezva.

There is evidence of continued occupation through the stone, bronze and iron ages. Noteworthy is the 8000 years old Qvevri, traditional clay vessel for keeping and aging wine according to Georgian winemaking technology, which was uncovered in the southern part of Georgia as well.

Name

The official name of the country is Georgia. The local name is “Sakartvelo” which literally translates to “The country of Georgians”, which comes from “Kartli”, the local name for the dominant Iberian Kingdom. Scholars have proposed various sources for the name “Georgia”:

• Derived from Greek, meaning “the land of farmers”
• Named after St. George, who was highly revered
• Old Persian, meaning “land of wolves”
• Not to be confused with the US state of Georgia, which, incidentally, was named after King George II, who approved the colony’s charter in 1732.

(View of a village in Georgia. From VisitGeorgia.ge).

Occupation through the ages

Greek myth about Argonauts narrates about Georgian kingdom of Colchis in the XIII century BC, in which clearly is described the wealth of this kingdom. Greek leader Jason and Argonauts came to Georgia for the golden fleece and stole it from the king Aeetes. It indicates on the country’s advanced goldsmith technologies and metallurgy.

The kingdoms of Colchis and Iberia were established in the third century BC by the king Pharnavaz. Both kingdoms suffered of invasions and foreign rule. Persian came to Georgia in the fifth century BC. In the first century AD Roman invasion made Iberia the vassal of the Roman Empire. The Roman and Persians confronted each other in the sixth century AD, but the newly arising Arabs took power in the seventh century took power and ruled for four centuries.
The end of the X century is the triumph in Georgian history, when Bagrat III unified Iberia and Egrisi under one, United Georgian kingdom.

The Mongols invaded in the 13th century, followed by the Timur-Lang a century later. In the 15th Century, Georgia found itself between two great powers – the Iranians to the East and the Ottomans to the West.

In 1783, a treaty was signed with the Russians, and in 1801, Russian troops came and annexed Georgia, abolishing the Georgian monarchy and native language. Georgia remained under Russian control through the USSR period, gaining independence in 1991. Some progress was made during the 20th century, however. The monarchy was restored in 1943 and Georgian language in 1978.

Independence was declared on 9th April 1991.

Obverse

The obverse of the coin features: “Borjgali, a Georgian symbol of the Sun with seven rotating wings, over the Christian Tree of Life with the country name in Georgian above and in Latin below”

Borjgali, an ancient Georgian symbol, represents the sun and is characterised by seven rotating wings. It embodies the concepts of freedom and eternity. Some scholars suggest that the term ‘Borjgali’ derives from the Megrelian word ‘barchkhali’, meaning ‘bright light’ or ‘shining brightly’. Others trace its origins to the ancient Megrelian words ‘borj’ (meaning ‘time’) and ‘gal’ (meaning ‘pass’ or ‘flow’), which together signify ‘the flow of time’. The Borjgali symbol appears on Georgian ID cards, passports, and driving licences, as well as on the national currency, including Lari banknotes and Tetri coins. Additionally, Borjgali serves as the official mascot of the Georgian rugby team.

Date

One interesting aspect of this coin is the “Frozen” date. The coin is issued with a date of 1993, however, it was actually issued from 1993 to 2015. Numista notes a difference in the thickness of the rim between coins which WERE issued in 1993 (Thick rim) and coins which were issued anytime from 1993 – 2015 (Thin rim). The thin rim is the most common (89% according to Numista) although the thick rim really does not earn much of a premium (Numista notes a price guide for “Uncirculated” examples of $1.30 for the thin rim and $2 for the thick rim. I have my example noted as a thin rim – though I don’t have a thick rim to compare it to in order to be more confident.

Reverse

The reverse of the coin features “A golden statue of lion from the 3rd century B.C. founded in Alazani Valley, Georgia”.

The oldest visual representation of a lion in Georgia (2500–3000 BC) this little golden figurine, highly decorated and just a few centimetres. The object was discovered in a monumental tomb in the Alazani Valley near the village of Tsnori (south-east Georgia). Someone in the Early Bronze Age crafted it out of a single piece of gold – no small feat and an act of skill, dedication and hard work.

I do find this little lion fascinating, but what is your favourite statue or artwork depicted on a coin? Let us know below!