Alexander the Great Coins Found in Syria

(AP)  More than 250 silver coins dating back to the time of Alexander the Great were unearthed in northern Syria, a Syrian archaeologist said Thursday.

Youssef Kanjo, the head of archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Aleppo, said the coins were discovered two weeks ago in northern Syria when a local man was digging the foundations of his new home.

The man handed the coins, that were found in a bonze box, to authorities, Kanjo said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

The coins date from the Hellenic period, which ranges from 4th to the 1st centuries B.C. after Macedonian warrior-king Alexander the Great spread Greek culture into Middle East and beyond with his conquests.

Kanjo added that the box contained two groups of coins, 137 "tetra" drachmas (four drachmas) and 115 single drachma coins.

One side of the tetra drachma coins depicts Alexander the Great, while the other side shows the Greek god Zeus sitting on a throne with an eagle perched on his extended arm.

Some of the coins bear the inscription King Alexander in Greek, while others say Alexander or carry the name of King Philip, most likely referring to his father.

After Alexander the Great's conquests, many of the successor kingdoms in the Middle East adopted drachmas as their currency.

"The discovery is extremely important and would be added to our archaeological treasures that date back to the Hellenic era," Kanjo said.

[coinguy42]

CBS reveals the risk of relying on AP without fact checking, and AP reveals the risk of relying on a so-called expert, this Syrian archeologist, without fact checking. The figure depicted on the front of these Alexander the Great coins isn't Alexander the Great but the mythological hero Hercules. This error was dispelled a half century ago, and all the numismatic references refer to this figure as Heracles. The reason is that it's the same figure that appeared on Macedonian coins before Alexander the Great was born!

[coinguy42]

CBS reveals the risk of relying on AP without fact checking, and AP reveals the risk of relying on a so-called expert, this Syrian archeologist, without fact checking. The figure depicted on the front of these Alexander the Great coins isn't Alexander the Great but the mythological hero Hercules. This error was dispelled a half century ago, and all the numismatic references refer to this figure as Heracles. The reason is that it's the same figure that appeared on Macedonian coins before Alexander the Great was born!

[erb0087]

"That Alexander should have committed errors in conduct from impetuosity or from wrath, and that he should have been induced to comport himself like the Persian monarchs to an immoderate degree, I do not think remarkable if we fairly consider both his youth and his uninterrupted career of good fortune. I do not think that even his tracing his origin to a god was a great error on Alexander's part, if it was not perhaps merely a device to induce his subjects to show him reverence."

- Ancient Greek historian Arrian of Nicomedia

(Incidentally, the Greek name "Arrian" has completely unrelated to the infamous word "Aryan".)

[erb0087]

"Is completely unrelated."

(Incidentally, the Greek name "Arrian" is completely unrelated to the infamous word "Aryan".)

[erb0087]

"Alexander the Great Coins Found in Syria"
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Alexander the Great is the only military leader ever to subdue Afghanistan.

They should send these to Obama for luck.

[Henri_Rochard]

The pundits know the coins are from the Alexander the Great era because they have a date stamp of 253 B.C. on them.

[ToolMangler1]

ROFLOL. I loved that one.

[maistir]

Hellenistic period.

[newsterl]

I should add there's shiploads of these kinds of coins, including those salvaged by the truckload from sunken ships- silver, gold etc, they are hardly rare

[newsterl]

"as opposed to you who would seek to profit off the find and bury them forever in obscurity in some e-bay black market bid."

Well sitting in the ground doesnt do anyone any good and if he didnt find them thats where they would be- STILL Lost to view, so if he found them on HIS land he has the right to sell them as he sees fit, including ebay to a collector.

[gerryrigger]

Well, I hope at least their government has the decency to reward the discoverer either in cash or in kind as a token of their appreciation for his priceless contribution to Syria in particular and the world as a whole.