Berlin teen finds the first ancient Greek coin ever recorded in the city

A German teenager recently unearthed an ancient Greek coin in Berlin, marking the first such find ever recorded.

The coin, dating to the 3rd century BC, was unearthed by a 13-year-old boy in the Spandau region, a region not usually associated with ancient Greek artifacts.

PETRI Berlin, an archaeological center in the German capital, announced the find in April.

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The organization said finds from classical antiquity “are generally rare in Berlin.”

“While Roman objects can be identified occasionally but regularly, Greek finds were previously completely absent,” the statement said.

He continued: “The current discovery therefore represents a rare example from a scientific perspective.”

The tiny bronze coin is only 12 millimeters long and weighs 7 grams. Although historically important, it probably had little monetary value in the ancient world.

B.C. It was printed in Troy, the legendary city of the Trojan War, between 281 and 261 BC.

The obverse of the coin depicts the head of the goddess Athena wearing a Corinthian helmet, while the reverse depicts Athena Ilias, the local Trojan form of Athena, with a woven basket known as a kalathos.

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“Initially, it was unclear whether the find came from an archaeological context or was a modern collector’s lost piece,” the organization’s statement said. The statement was included.

“There were perhaps more connections between these ancient peoples than we can imagine today.”

“However, examination of the site by experts revealed clear evidence that the area was used as a cemetery for a long time. Ceramic fragments, cremated remains and bronze double buttons indicate a Bronze Age or Early Iron Age cemetery.”

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Jens Henker, archaeological heritage officer at the Berlin State Monuments Office, said the low-value coin was probably left as a grave gift.

Henker told Fox News Digital that the boy who found the coin was “playing around at his usual spot” and then accidentally came across the coin.

Archaeologists say the bronze coin found in Berlin’s Spandau district probably dates back more than 2,000 years to ancient Troy. (PETRI Berlin/Christof Hannemann)

“Probably because he’s interested in old coins.” [had] “So he took a look and took it with him, not knowing what he found,” he said.

Henker added that it has not yet been explained how the coin reached Berlin.

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“Because we have amber from the Baltic Sea in Ancient Greece, there were clearly trade connections as early as the Bronze Age,” he noted. “The coin could simply have been a commodity to be bought and sold.”

There was probably some contact between the ancient Greeks and Germanic tribes, but the extent remains unclear.

Experts believe the coin may have been left as a grave offering in what appears to be a prehistoric burial site. (Berlin State Museums, Museum of Prehistory and Early History / Ulrike Scheibe; PETRI Berlin / Christof Hannemann)

“Did the money come not directly from Greece to our region, but through connections with Celtic tribes in the southwest?” Henker thought.

“Ultimately, we are left with many guesses and questions, but one thing needs to be recognized: There were perhaps more connections between these ancient peoples than we can imagine today.”

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Greeks’ contact with Germanic tribes was much more limited than the extensive ties seen during the Roman Empire, Henker noted.

“The connections between the Roman Empire and the Germanic tribes were much more intense. [because] members of Germanic tribes [were] “They were generally used as troops helping the Romans,” he said.

Athena features prominently on the coin unearthed in Berlin, offering a clear link to ancient Greek culture. (Berlin State Museums, Museum of Prehistory and Early History / Ulrike Scheibe)

“In return, a large number of Roman objects came to our region, also through plunder. The connections were less intense, compared to the smaller number of finds from the Greek period here.”

Underlining the importance of the finding, the official said his team “never expected such a finding, no matter how much we wanted it to.”

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“This is the first finding for Berlin, but this does not apply to the Brandenburg region around Berlin,” he added.

“Around 1584, a [German] farmer found a tetradrachm [coin] from the island of Thassos, [from] After 146 BC… These finds are very rare indeed, but our recent coins are not the only ones.”