2023 THE EGYPTIANS from “Afterlife & Rites of Passage” Series; 2 Ounce Antiqued Silver Coin; $10 Palau

Description

Metal                    Silver

Purity                   0.999 (99.9%)

Weight                 2 Troy oz (62,2 g)

Diameter              45 mm

Attributes             Antique Finish, Colorized, Ultra High Relief

Mintage                555

Packaging             Presentation Box and CoA

The ‘Egyptians’ coin continues the “Afterlife – Rites of Passage” series as the second issue. It shows the burial rites of a fallen Egyptian pharaoh on the reverse and the afterlife ‘Duat / Field of Reeds’ on the obverse. This coin is struck using the enhanced Smartminting©️ technology which results in stunning ultra high relief on both sides.

Coin description

The obverse shows an Egyptian burial ceremony. In the front there is a traditional Egyptian procession where the deceased is carried to its resting place. There are tombs, rows of statues and pyramids in the background. Colorful hieroglyphs and images are on the walls.

The reverse side of the coin depicts Duat & Field of Reeds, the Egyptian after world, in the right background. On the left is God Anubis who weights the heart against a feather if the deceased may pass. In the wrong the boat, with God Ra, that brings the deceased over a river to the after world. The Coat of Arms of Palau is inserted on the right with the inscriptions: “REPUBLIC OF PALAU” and “2023” along with “10 $” at the bottom.

Background information

Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs were centered around a variety of complex rituals that were influenced by many aspects of Egyptian culture. The Egyptian concept of ‘eternal life’ was often seen as being reborn indefinitely. The burial practices involved a lot of stages and differed throughout the hierarchy of the Egyptian civilization. For Pharaohs, the dead would first be mummified and put into a coffin. It would then be carried in a procession through a corridor of many statues into a tomb. In the tomb a lot of treasures would be put as well to be used in the afterlife. The most important however was food as the spirit could still starve before it reached the afterworld.

The journey to the afterlife and rebirth has various stages as per the old Egyptian beliefs. These are divided into the journey, judgement, and rebirth. The journey to the afterlife by boat was strictly reserved for pharaohs. God Ra would come when the sun sets and lead the expedition. The second stage was the judgement of the worthiness of the soul. This was done by weighing the heart against a feather by God Anubis. If the feather was heavier, God Osiris would admit the deceased into the Fields of Reed and granted a second life for all of eternity.