Republic of Armenia 1 ounce Silver Round

Between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea is a land that contains the Caucasus Mountains, which are considered to straddle the border between Europe and Asia. Two of the countries in the region are Georgia and Azerbaijan, and the third is Armenia, the subject of this post. The Armenian language has its own alphabet, which was devised in the 5th centrury, C.E. Despite the name "Armenia" in the Western World, the Armenian people call their country: Hayastan or the Hayastani Republic, and in their own alphabet the latter is written:

Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն

Anyone interested in the etymology of names (as I am) can read more about the possible origin of the names "Armenia" and "Hayastan" here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Armenia

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According to the texts of several religions of ancient times, a cataclysmic flood was mentioned, which decimated much of the world's population. Most of those religions has a story about one of their own who was favored by their deity to survive and repopulate the Earth. The scriptures of one of those religions states that the vessel of their favored person came to rest, after the flood waters receded, "...upon the mountains of Ararat." This land of "Ararat" was the Hebrew name for the kingdom of Urartu, which comprised eastern Anatolia (present-day Turkey) and Armenia.

The largest mountain in the area is Mount Ararat, which exceeds 5,000 m (16,000 ft) in height. This mountain is difficult to access due to several reasons: 1) its sheer height and rough terrain make it a challenge, even to experienced climbers, 2) the mountain is located in territory that has been involved in several historical disputes through the ages (being near the junction of Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran), and thence is heavily guarded, and 3) religious proponents, who believe that the seaworthy vessel that saved humanity landed upon that mountain as the flood waters receded, consider it "sacred" and, thereby, off-limits. In order to access it today, a military permit is required and visitors must adhere to strict guidelines.

Although several other locations have been identified as likely resting-places for such a vessel, should the religious stories even have any truth to them rather than merely being symbolic, Mount Ararat has been claimed as the landing-spot for the vessel because of its largeness and majestic appearance. Perhaps part of the reason it was so-claimed was also to supplant the long-entrenched views of ancient pagan people's holdings that the mountain was "sacred," in the typical way Western religions seem to do.

Beginning in 2011, the Republic of Armenia contracted with Geiger Edelmetalle (founded in the year 1218 C.E.) to produce bullion rounds in 99.9% Fine Silver. These rounds are minted by an affiliate of Geiger Edelmetalle, namely Leipziger Edelmetallverarbeitungs GmbH. I was able to obtain one of these pieces recently for my collection. I found this piece interesting because it is from a country with an ancient history and an amazingly unique alphabet.

The obverse (front) of the bullion round features the coat-of-arms of Armenia, which features two ancient symbols of the country: an eagle and a lion. Around the top is "REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA" rendered in the Armenian alphabet, and its English equivalent is rendered around the bottom. The "face value" of "500 DRAM" (roughly equivalent to one USD) appears beneath the coat-of-arms and the date of minting beneath that. To the left is the mark of the mint, and the fineness "1 OZ AG 999" appears to the right.

The reverse of the round features an image of the two peaks of Mount Ararat with Noah's Ark floating upon water. A dove with an olive branch in its beak appears to the left. The depicted scene is looking towards the west from Armenia, so the sun shown behind the mountain has to be the setting sun. The words "NOAH'S ARK" appears in the Armenian alphabet around the top and in the Latin/English alphabet around the bottom.

Here is a close-up of the dove and olive branch:

Here is a close-up of the setting sun, with the splay of rays around it — I like the way the natural light in the room plays off the rays of sunlight stamped into the round:

The round came in a protective plastic case, to preserve it from oxidation and the oils of the skin of the person holding it: