While preparing a grave for a man in Tarsus, Turkey, villagers hit a hard object in the soil – a cracked ceramic jar.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered the jar was packed with an impressive number of ancient silver coins, which has now sparked the interest of archaeologists and historians.
Quickly realising the significance of the find, the villagers notified the authorities. Police arrived to secure the area and contacted the Museum Directorate, ensuring the site remained undisturbed.
Museum officials then worked with police to recover the coins – 1,100 in total.
With the artefacts recovered, the burial for 26-year-old Nuri Kavas, who had been tragically killed in a traffic accident, continued.
“As the digger was excavating, what appeared to be a historical artefact – a large collection of coins – emerged. We informed the authorities right away,” said the head of Yunusoglu’s neighbourhood, Muhtar İzzet Gökler.
“The museum and security forces then conducted a meticulous search to retrieve every coin. In total, 1,100 silver coins were found and taken by officials.”
They were carefully transferred to the museum for further study and safekeeping.
Experts are now eager to thoroughly examine the coins to determine their age, origins and any markings of symbols that may shed light on the region’s past. The Museum Directorate plans to conduct a full analysis to reveal the coins’ historical value and connections to ancient trade, local rulers, or economic activity.
Findings such as these are rare, especially in everyday settings such as village cemeteries, making the discovery much more exciting.
Human habitation in Anatolia, which is considered to be part of Turkey, dates back to the Paleolithic Era or the Old Stone Age. Artefacts from this era have been found scattered throughout Anatolia.
Göbekli Tepe is the site of the oldest known human-made structure, a temple dating to around 10,000 BC.
