Currency of Mesopotamia

Austrian gold coin from 2019 worth 100 euros from Mesopotamia

Since time immemorial, gold has held a special allure for those who behold it. The Magic of Gold series explores the mystical nature of gold in ancient cultures. No other metal possesses the same symbolic meaning as gold, and no other tangible material has been so closely associated with abstract concepts, including heaven, immortality, purity, and power.

All six coins in the Magic of Gold series contain ancient artistic treasures and the word “gold” is written on each one in the text of the culture they explore: Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, the Inca, the Scythians, India and China.

With the first coin in the Magic of Gold series, we travel back in time to ancient Mesopotamia, the “land between two rivers,” the Tigris and Euphrates. In Mesopotamian culture, gold ownership was associated with high status, and all gold had to be given to the ruling classes and religious leaders. It was dedicated to the most powerful and influential gods. Mesopotamian gold was primarily sourced from Egypt, where it was believed that the streets were paved with precious metals.

A gold coin from Mesopotamia bears the image of the legendary ruler, King Nebuchadnezzar II (c. 640–562 BCE), wearing a crown with horns. According to the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament, Nebuchadnezzar erected a colossal golden statue and made his subjects worship it on their knees. As elsewhere, gold ownership in Mesopotamia was associated with high status. It was reserved for the powerful, and all gold had to be handed over to the ruling class and religious authorities. Mesopotamian gold was primarily sourced from Egypt, where it was believed that the streets were paved with precious metals. The reverse side of the coin depicts a bull's head, a detail found on the Golden Lyre of Ur, discovered in 1929 in the Royal Cemetery of Ur, located in present-day Iraq. The lyre, crafted nearly 4,500 years ago, is considered one of the oldest surviving guitars in the world.