According to a report in the Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, by
Wajih Al-Saqqar, archeologists have discovered ancient Egyptian coins bearing
the name and image of the Biblical Joseph.
Following are excerpts from the article: [1]
"In an unprecedented find, a group of Egyptian
researchers and archeologists has discovered a cache of coins from the time of
the Pharaohs. Its importance lies in the fact that it provides decisive
scientific evidence disproving the claim by some historians that the ancient
Egyptians were unfamiliar with coins and conducted their trade through barter.
"The researchers discovered the coins when they sifted
through thousands of small archeological artifacts stored in [the vaults of]
the Museum of Egypt. [Initially] they took them for charms, but a thorough
examination revealed that the coins bore the year in which they were minted and
their value, or effigies of the pharaohs [who ruled] at the time of their
minting. Some of the coins are from the time when Joseph lived in Egypt, and
bear his name and portrait.
"There used to be a misconception that trade [in
Ancient Egypt] was conducted through barter, and that Egyptian wheat, for
example, was traded for other goods. But surprisingly, Koranic verses indicate
clearly that coins were used in Egypt in the time of Joseph.
"Research team head Dr. Sa'id Muhammad Thabet said that
during his archeological research on the Prophet Joseph, he had discovered in
the vaults of the [Egyptian] Antiquities Authority and of the National Museum
many charms from various eras before and after the period of Joseph, including
one that bore his effigy as the minister of the treasury in the Egyptian
pharaoh's court…
"Dr. Sa'id Thabet added that he had examined the
sarcophagi of many pharaohs in search of coins used as charms or ornaments, and
that he had indeed found such ancient Egyptian coins. This [find] prompted
researchers to seek and find Koranic verses that speak of coins used in ancient
Egypt, [such as]: 'And they sold him [i.e. Joseph] for a low price, a number of
silver coins; and they attached no value to him. [Koran 12:20].' [Also,] Qarun
[2] says about his money: 'This has been given to me because of a certain
knowledge which I have [Koran 28: 78].'"
"According to Dr. Thabet, his studies are based on
publications about the Third Dynasty, one of which states that the Egyptian
coin of the time was called a deben and was worth one-fourth of a gram of gold.
This coin is mentioned in a letter by a man named Thot-Nehet, a royal inspector
of the Nile bridges. In letters to his son, he mentioned leasing lands in
return for deben-coins and agricultural produce.
"Other texts from the time of the Third Dynasty, the
Sixth Dynasty and the Twelfth Dynasty mention a coin named shati or sat, whose
value was equal to that of the deben. There is also a picture of an Egyptian
market showing trade being conducted through barter, but one of the vendors
puts out his hand, asking the buyer for a deben in return for the goods.
"Studies by Dr. Thabet's team have revealed that what
most archeologists took for a kind of charm, and others took for an ornament or
adornment, is actually a coin. Several [facts led them to this conclusion]:
first, [the fact that] many such coins have been found at various
[archeological sites], and also [the fact that] they are round or oval in
shape, and have two faces: one with an inscription, called the inscribed face,
and one with an image, called the engraved face - just like the coins we use
today.
"The archeological finding is also based on the fact
that the inscribed face bore the name of Egypt, a date, and a value, while the
engraved face bore the name and image of one of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs
or gods, or else a symbol connected with these. Another telling fact is that
the coins come in different sizes and are made of different materials,
including ivory, precious stones, copper, silver, gold, etc."
"The researcher also pointed out that the coins made of
precious metals or stones usually had a hole in them, like a woman's ornament,
allowing them to be [worn] around the neck or on the chest. Some of them, which
bore images of gods and texts from various prayers or incantations, were
treasured belongings that were placed into the bindings of mummies or placed
[on the chest, close to] the heart. The coins were scarab-shaped. What made the
discovery possible was the fact that 500 of these coins were [recently]
discovered in the Museum of Egypt, where they were [originally] classified as
charms and stored carelessly in closed boxes."
"The researcher identified coins from many different
periods, including coins that bore special markings identifying them as being
from the era of Joseph. Among these, there was one coin that had an inscription
on it, and an image of a cow symbolizing Pharaoh's dream about the seven fat
cows and seven lean cows, and the seven green stalks of grain and seven dry
stalks of grain. It was found that the inscriptions of this early period were
usually simple, since writing was still in its early stages, and consequently
there was difficulty in deciphering the writing on these coins. But the
research team [managed to] translate [the writing on the coin] by comparing it
to the earliest known hieroglyphic texts…
"Joseph's name appears twice on this coin, written in
hieroglyphs: once the original name, Joseph, and once his Egyptian name, Saba
Sabani, which was given to him by Pharaoh when he became treasurer. There is
also an image of Joseph, who was part of the Egyptian administration at the
time.
"Dr. Sa'id Thabet called on Egypt's Antiquities Council
and on the Minister of Culture to intensify efforts in the fields of Ancient
Egyptian history and archeology, and to [promote] the research of these coins
that bear the name of Egyptian pharaohs and gods. This, he said, would enable
the correction of prevalent misconceptions regarding the history of Ancient
Egypt."
