Catalog
20 Birr Millennium - Lucy
| Issuer | National Bank of Ethiopia |
|---|---|
| Year | 2008 |
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| Currency | Birr (1976-date) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Ge'ez, Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a frontal reconstruction of the fossilised skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis, known as Lucy (Dinknesh), rendered in low relief against a deeply mirrored proof field. The skeletal figure is presented in an upright posture occupying the centre of the coin, with anatomical detail rendered schematically. A circular legend surrounds the design: to the left in Ge'ez script reads 'ዲንቅነሽ (ሉሲ) - 3.2 ሚሊዮን ቀናት የሰው ዘር ቅድመ አያት', and along the lower arc in Latin script reads 'Dinknesh (Lucy) - 3.2 million years hominid'. The composition commemorates the 1974 discovery of this landmark hominid fossil in Ethiopia. |
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| Additional information |
Issued to mark the Ethiopian Millennium, which fell in September 2007 by the Gregorian calendar — Ethiopia follows the Ge'ez calendar, placing it roughly seven to eight years behind. The "Lucy" subject references the 3.2-million-year-old Australopithecus afarensis specimen discovered in the Afar region in 1974 by Donald Johanson's team, named after the Beatles song playing in camp that evening.