Many of our valued customers expressed a desire for the continuation of our popular Egyptian Gods series of 2 oz ultra high relief silver rounds, which was put on an indefinite pause after the release of Cleopatra and Anubis. Good news! A third design—featuring the crocodile god, Sobek—has been under development and is now ready to release.
Also known as “Lord of the Waters,” Sobek is the ancient Egyptian god of strength, power, and fertility. He was first mentioned in the Pyramid Texts, the oldest known sacred texts. Some myths tell of Sobek rising from the water and creating the world. Along with being a force of creation, Sobek was also viewed as an unpredictable, chaotic god.
Egyptians both loved and feared crocodiles. In some areas, the animals were worshipped as if they were the earthly embodiment of Sobek. Crocodiles were kept in temple pools and hand fed delicacies, while mummified crocodiles of all ages have been found guarding the human mummies in many ancient tombs. This ties into Sobek’s trait of protectiveness, enabling him to guard the pharaoh, the army, and the Egyptian people.
Sobek most often appeared as a man with the head of the crocodile. He wore a plumed headdress that carried a sun disk. Some interpretations find him clutching a sceptre as well. This animalistic portrayal is attributed to how wild crocodiles operate on pure instinct.
We wanted to give you a sneak peek of the Sobek sculpt so you can glimpse a part of the process of bringing a design to life. This was hand-sculpted to get the detail just right. From here, metal dies are made to strike silver blanks. The pressure of the die striking the blank is what creates the finished round.
We hope you’re as excited as we are about the release of Sobek. Please watch our release video for more information about this new round, sold exclusively by Provident!
