Archaeologists have uncovered a remarkable hoard of 50 Persian gold coins dating back approximately 2,500 years at the ancient Greek city of Notion on the Aegean coast of present-day Turkey.<\/p>\n
The discovery was made during excavations led by the University of Michigan\u2019s Notion Archaeological Project near Ahmetbeyli in \u0130zmir Province. The coins were found inside a small ceramic vessel buried beneath the courtyard of a later Hellenistic house.<\/p>\n Researchers believe the treasure was deliberately hidden for safekeeping but was never recovered by its owner, possibly because of war, death or forced displacement.<\/p>\n The gold coins have been identified as Persian darics dating to the late fifth or early fourth century BC, during the rule of the Achaemenid Persian Empire.<\/p>\n Each coin bears the iconic image of a kneeling archer, the standard design of Persian darics, which were likely minted at Sardis, one of the empire\u2019s most important administrative and economic centres.<\/p>\n Christopher Ratt\u00e9, director of the Notion Archaeological Project, said the hoard\u2019s archaeological context makes the discovery especially significant, as many similar finds were uncovered in the past without proper excavation records.<\/p>\n Ancient Greek historian Xenophon recorded that a single daric was roughly equal to one month\u2019s wages for a mercenary soldier.<\/p>\n Based on that estimate, the 50 gold coins could have paid a force of 50 soldiers for an entire month.<\/p>\n While archaeologists have not linked the hoard to a specific historical event, they believe it may have belonged to a military commander, government official or wealthy resident during a period when Persian and Athenian forces competed for control of the Aegean coastline.<\/p>\n Notion was an important Ionian Greek city overlooking the Aegean Sea, located near Colophon and the famous Sanctuary of Apollo at Claros.<\/p>\n Throughout the Classical period, the city repeatedly changed hands between the Persian Empire and Athens because of its strategic harbour.<\/p>\n Persian-backed forces occupied Notion during the fifth century BC before Athens later established it as a naval base. The city eventually returned to Persian control until the arrival of Alexander the Great in 334 BC.<\/p>\n The newly discovered coins are now being preserved at the Ephesus Archaeological Museum, where further research is expected to provide a more precise date for the hoard and shed additional light on the circumstances that led to its burial.<\/p>\n The discovery offers a rare glimpse into the political, military and economic struggles that shaped the ancient Greek cities of Asia Minor during the Persian Wars and the centuries that followed.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/greekcitytimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/169721.webp\")
<\/figure>\nRare Persian darics<\/h2>\n
Linked to military payments<\/h2>\n
![\"Credit:](\"https:\/\/greekcitytimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/169720.webp\")
<\/figure>\nA strategic Greek city<\/h2>\n