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250 Fils Bas-relief King Hammurabi and sun-god
| Issuer | Central Bank of Iraq |
|---|---|
| Year | 1982 |
| Type | Commemorative circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | Central field dominated by a bas-relief reproduction of the upper portion of the famous stele of Hammurabi, depicting the seated sun-god Shamash (on the right, wearing a horned tiara and with rays emanating from his shoulders) presenting the rod and ring of justice to the standing figure of King Hammurabi (on the left, in a posture of reverence). The scene is rendered within an arched frame in the Babylonian artistic tradition. The Hijri year ١٤٠٢هـ appears to the left of the central device and the Gregorian year ١٩٨٢م to the right, both in Arabic-Indic numerals. The reeded octagonal border frames the entire composition. |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
This issue was part of a series Iraq struck in 1982 celebrating ancient Mesopotamian heritage — a deliberate act of cultural nationalism during the early years of the Iran-Iraq War, when the Ba'athist government was actively drawing ideological lines between Arab-Iraqi civilization and Persian Iran. Hammurabi, as the Babylonian king who codified one of the earliest written legal systems around 1754 BC, was a recurring symbol in Ba'athist propaganda.
The bas-relief depicted is derived from the famous diorite stele now held at the Louvre, looted from Babylon by the Elamites in the 12th century BC.