2671) Abourma Rock Art, Republic of Djibouti: "Prehistoric Art Coin Series": First Coin in the Series: A 200 Franc Silver Antique Finsh Coin presents the Pre-historic Rock Art: Year of Coin Release: 2023:
Abourma Rock Art is the first issue in the "Prehistoric Art Coin Series.
About Prehistoric Art:
Prehistoric art was produced by ancient civilisations until they developed writing or other methods of record keeping.
This means prehistoric art, can be younger in some parts of the world than in others.
The oldest art, engraved shells, dates up to half a million years ago.
Earliest rock art and drawings in general date to 40000-75000 years ago with some pieces as old as 40000 years.
The Abourma Rock Art Site:
The Abourma Rock Art site is a huge, 3-kilometer stretch of rocks with hundreds of carvings in the north of Djibouti on the Makarrassou Massif of Tadjoura Region. It is the largest known rock art site in the country and one of the most extensive in all of East Africa.
These rock carvings tell a story about the society at that time.
It includes rock art from prehistory with nearly three kilometers of rock engravings representing a variety of themes that reflect the behaviors, social stratification and organization of a vanished pastoral life.
This superb archaeological site features well-preserved rock engravings dating back to Neolithic times, which are striking both for their rich complexity and their incredible variety.
Some images represent messages of the social class and the interactions with nature and hunting.
There are many wild animals present like elephants, giraffes, hippos and rhinos but also domesticated animals as well. Many of the engravings depict animals that are no longer found in the area – giraffes, cows, antelopes, kudus, oryxes and ostriches. Human figures are also represented.
The site was rediscovered in 2008 by an archeologist who was working in North Djibouti at various small rock art sites when, at a restaurant in Randa for lunch, the waiter asked what he was doing.
He showed pictures of the rock art and the waiter said: “We have so many of these as well nearby”.
The next day, after a 5-hour trek, he was amazed at the vast examples of ancient carvings.
In 2014 a road was constructed cutting the walk to just 2 hours. It still takes a total of 6 hours to get to the site from Djibouti city today.
The Abourma Rock Art Site is now listed to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The UNESCO mission during its visit found that most of the images are in good condition, although some have disappeared following geomorphic effects and climate change.
The Coin:
From the three kilometer stretch of thousands of Abourma rock carvings the Coin showcases the largest stone titled - "The Zoo".
This coin has been struck using enhanced Smartminting©️ technology which results in stunning ultra-high relief (UHR) on the Reverse.
The Reverse of the 200 Franc Silver Antique Finish Coin depicts ‘The Zoo’, (one of the rocks of the Abourma Rock Art site) with a precise representation of the carving.
At the bottom is the writing “ABOURMA ROCK ART SITE” (the name of the coin) and at the right “2023” (the year of issue).
There are images of prehistoric people carving rock art and painting cave paintings.
At the bottom is inscribed “PREHISTORIC ART” (the name of the Coin Series).
At the top quarter is the Coat Of Arms of Djibouti embedded with - “REPUBLICQUE DE DJIBOUTI” (issuing country), “200 FRANCS” (the face value), “.999 AG” (the purity of the silver) and “93.3 g” (the weight of the coin).
The specifications of the Silver coin are:
Country: Republic of Djibouti; Year of Coin issue: 2023; Denomination: 200 Franc; Coin Series Theme: "Prehistoric Art"; Coin Theme: "ABOURMA ROCK ART SITE", Djibouti; Metal Composition: .999 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 3.00 Oz or 93.3 grams; Diameter/Size: 65.00 mm; Modifications: Smartminting Ultra High Relief (UHR); Coin Quality: Antique Finish with a colour motif; Mintage: 499 pieces.
- The coin is delivered with - a Capsule, Deluxe Box, Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
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