SouthernWorldwide.com – A remarkable archaeological discovery has been made in Berlin, Germany, when a young teenager stumbled upon an ancient Greek coin, an artifact of significant historical value. This find is particularly noteworthy as it represents the first recorded instance of such an artifact in the German capital.
The coin, identified as dating back to the third century B.C., was unearthed by a 13-year-old student in the Spandau district. This area is not typically associated with findings from ancient Greece, adding to the mystery and intrigue surrounding the coin’s presence there.
PETRI Berlin, an archaeological center located in the city, officially announced the discovery in April. The organization highlighted that artifacts from classical antiquity are generally rare within Berlin.
The statement from PETRI Berlin further elaborated that while Roman objects are occasionally found, Greek artifacts had previously been entirely absent from discoveries in the region. This absence makes the current find a significant scientific rarity.
The coin itself is a small bronze piece, measuring just 12 millimeters in diameter and weighing 7 grams. Despite its historical importance, its monetary value in the ancient world was likely quite modest.
Minted between 281 and 261 B.C., the coin originates from Troy, the legendary city famously associated with the Trojan War.
The obverse side of the coin features the head of the goddess Athena, depicted wearing a Corinthian helmet. On the reverse, the image is of Athena Ilias, the local Trojan representation of Athena, holding a kalathos, which is a type of woven basket.
Initially, there was uncertainty about the coin’s origin. Archaeologists debated whether it was part of a genuine archaeological context or a lost item from a modern collector.
“There were connections between these ancient peoples, perhaps more than we can imagine today.”
However, a thorough examination of the discovery site by specialists provided conclusive evidence. They identified clear signs indicating the area had been used for burials over an extended period. Fragments of pottery, cremated remains, and a bronze double button were found, suggesting the presence of a Bronze Age or early Iron Age cemetery.
Jens Henker, an archaeological heritage officer with the Berlin State Monuments Office, explained that the coin, being of low value, was likely placed as a grave offering.
“Because he is interested in old coins, he probably [had] an eye for that and took it with him … without knowing what he found,” Henker stated, referring to the young discoverer.
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The exact journey of the coin to Berlin remains an enigma, a puzzle that archaeologists are keen to solve.
“Because we have amber from the Baltic Sea in Ancient Greece, there were clearly trading connections as early as the Bronze Age,” Henker noted. “The coin could have simply been a traded good.”
It is plausible that some level of interaction existed between ancient Greeks and Germanic tribes, though the extent of these connections is not fully understood.
“Did the coin come not directly from Greece to our area, but via connections with Celtic tribes in the southwest?” Henker mused.
“At the end, we have many guesses and questions, but one thing should be recognized: there were connections between these ancient peoples, perhaps more than we can imagine today.”
Henker pointed out that the ties between the Greek civilization and Germanic tribes were less extensive compared to the significant interactions seen during the Roman Empire.
“The connections between the Roman Empire and the German tribes was a much more intense one, mainly [because] the members of the German tribes [were] often used as helping troops for the Romans,” he explained.
“In return, but also by plundering, a lot of Roman objects came in our area. According to the lesser amount of findings here from the Greek period, the connections were less intensive.”
The official emphasized the unexpected nature of this find, stating that his team “was never expecting such a find, although we wished it!”
“For Berlin, it is the first find, but not for the area of Brandenburg around Berlin,” he added.
“In the time around 1584, a [German] farmer found a tetradrachm [coin] from the island of Thasos, [from] after 146 B.C. … Still, these finds are really rare, but our recently found coin is not the only one.”
