Third c. BC silver coins ho is found in the UAE – History

A group of silver coins from the 3rd century BC hidden in a pottery jar was found in an archaeological site in Mleiha, United Arab Emirates. The pot contains 409 four-shaped silver coins, and its design is inspired by coins from Alexander the Great and his Heir of the Serch.

The pottery jar was excavated in 2021. It is shaped like a flap clip, half flat, with a small opening around the neck, and on both sides are two pierced tabs, which may have bolts or ropes. When archaeologists dug it out, they were surprised at its weight, weighing 9 kg (just 20 pounds). The pot was then opened in the Sharjah Archaeological Bureau Research Laboratory, revealing 387 single-sided coins and 22 double-sided coins, weighing between 16 and 17 grams.

The earliest of the coin depicts Alexander the Great, wearing Nemean Lion skin, Hercules trademark, with the front of the trademark, Zeus boarded the Eagle, and his staff on the opposite side. One-sided coin has Zeus’s ascension to the throne. Recent coin opportunity to replace Greek inscriptions Aramaic inscriptions and local portraiture.

Located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, Mleiha is one of the most important cities in the Arabian Peninsula during the pre-Islamic period. Believed to be the capital of the Kingdom of Oman, it is a thriving desert farming community maintained by an underground irrigation system known as Falaj and stopped on a trade route connected to India and the Mediterranean. Businessmen carrying spices, textiles and precious metals through Mleiha and need identifiable currency wherever they are. Therefore, the monetary minting inspired by the original Greek works.

Similar Greek-style coins were found on other ancient sites in the Persian Gulf, which proved that the Hellenistic commercial and cultural power extended to the Arabian Peninsula, where they were transformed and individualized to integrate into the local culture. The transition from imitation to customization of the Mleiha ho is a microcosm of the region’s transformation from Greek dominance to Arabia itself as a participant in cultural and economic power.

Coins and pots have been widely photographed to create 3D models. This is the first coin hoard I have seen, and each piece can be explored from every angle. Interestingly, seeing