Archaeologists from the Phanagoria Archaeological Expedition discovered a hoard of coins during excavations at Phanagoria along the Taman Peninsula in the Black Sea.
Phanagoria was founded in the middle of the 6th century BC. of Greek settlers on the shores of Taman Bay. The ancient settlement and necropolis includes over 700 mounds and occupies 2223 hectares.
The search team found a bag containing 30 coins among the remains of two burned-out homes in the city.
According to archaeologists from the Phanagoria Archaeological Expedition, it is a type of Greek coin minted in the Bosphorus Kingdom. Scholars suggest that the coins were lost or hidden during attacks by Turks or Huns on Phanagoria.
The coins, lost or hidden during the attacks of the Turks or the Huns
Also last year, a similar hoard of 80 coins was found hidden inside an amphora not far from the site of the latest find, while earlier digs along the Taman Peninsula found treasures in Hermonassa and Kitey.
An analysis of these allows archaeologists to assess the wealth of the people who lived along the peninsula, suggesting that the inhabitants had about 30-80 coins for their daily needs.
The team estimates that the savings of residents in each city in the region amounted to about 1,000 such coins, they write HeritageDaily.
Why are these coins unique?
Bosphorus coins are unique in that they were last minted in AD 34, but continued to be used in the region until at least the late 6th century.
After Phanagoria became a Byzantine dependency, Byzantine gold also circulated in the territory, which had a higher value than Bosporan coins.
However, unlike copper ones, gold coins were used almost exclusively for large transactions and only the wealthiest medieval classes could afford them.