In the United Arab Emirates, a mission from the Sharjah Archeology Office during excavations in the city of Mleikha discovered a treasure that experts called priceless. It consists of hundreds of silver coins dating from the 3rd century BC.
According to The National News, a hoard of 409 silver coins dating from the 3rd century BC sheds new light on the historical significance of the city of Mleikhi.
It was found by archaeologists back in February this year. But only now the Sharjah Archeology Authority has officially announced the find. All this time, the coins went through the process of cleaning and conservation. The treasure was buried in a heavy earthen vessel.
“When this heavy [9kg] earthenware jug was discovered, it was suspected that it might contain rare artifacts,” says Sabah Abud Jasim, CEO of Sharjah Archeology Department. coins “.
A total of 409 coins were found, all of them are silver and all date from the 3rd century BC. This feature indicates a number of factors at once. First, scientists assumed that all the coins found were minted in the same region where they were found. This was common practice at the time.
Secondly, the coins were collected over a short time period. They could probably have belonged to a merchant – the city of Mleikha was an important center of trade and commerce in the Arabian Peninsula. Why the treasure was buried is anyone’s guess.
Most of the coins are decorated with images typical of the time and widespread. However, a few coins turned out to be extremely rare. They have a design that was popular at one time, but has survived to this day in a few copies. In particular, the hoard contained coins with images of Alexander the Great and the Greek god Zeus.
We add that during the past excavations, various items dated to 8000 BC were also discovered. They will help in the study of the history of this region dating back to the Stone Age.
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