Archaeologists from the University of Michigan, led by Dr. Christopher Ratté, discovered a cache of ancient Greek gold coins buried in an underground room of a residence in Notion, an ancient Greek-speaking city-state in western Turkey.
The coins, featuring the image of a crouched archer, were likely minted in Sardis around the 5th century B.C. and were possibly used to pay mercenaries.
The valuable coin hoard was likely buried during a time of conflict. Theories suggest they belonged to Persian sympathizers or Greek mercenaries who were unable to retrieve them due to defeat or misfortune.
The discovery of the precious metal coin cache in controlled archaeological excavations is considered rare, as it is unusual for a treasure to be buried without the intention of recovery.
The stylistic clues on the coins helped date them precisely to the 5th century B.C., aiding in understanding the sequence of events leading to their burial.
Notion was situated in a contested frontier zone at the time of the hoard's deposition.
Between 430 BC and 427 BC, a group of Persian supporters and mercenaries captured Notion, but the Athenian general Paches killed the pro-Persian mercenaries, leading to the expulsion of the Persian sympathizers and Athenian control over the city.
The excavation, which began in 2022, has unearthed artifacts such as pottery fragments from ancient periods, including some dating back to the 5th century BC.
The pot filled with gold coins was found in a corner of an ancient house.
Dr. Ratté mentioned that finding such a valuable treasure in a controlled archaeological excavation is very rare.
The gold coins found in Notion are now kept in the Ephesus Museum in Izmir as archaeologists continue their work in the region.
Sources: New York Times, Live Science, Diario Uno, Enikos, Tehran Times, Noticia Brasil, Polsat News, Haber7, VnExpress, SINDOnews
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
