World
Researchers unearth find dating back 2,400 years in ancient Greek city
An ancient Greek city in modern-day western Turkey was the setting for the finding of gold coins dating back thousands of years.
Researchers led by University of Michigan archaeologist Christopher Ratté discovered a hoard of gold coins in a small pot buried in the city of Notion. The team dated the ancient coins to the fifth century B.C., according to a news release on Aug. 4.
Excavations of Notion began in 2022, with the gold coins being discovered the following year. The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism recently gave their permission for the discovery to be made public.
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The discovered gold coins display a kneeling archer, which is a “characteristic design of the Persian daric,” per the news release.
This type of gold coin was one distributed by the Persian Empire, likely produced at Sardis, a location about 60 miles northeast of the ancient Greek city, according to Ratté, who is also director of the Notion Archaeological Project, the group responsible for the coins’ discovery.
The design of the coins, which were made from the late fifth century B.C. up until the conquest of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C., remained fairly similar to each other with only slight differences, according to the news release.
Researchers dated the ancient coins to the fifth century B.C. (Notion Archaeological Project/University of Michigan)
The slight changes between coins are paramount to putting the coins in chronological order. The coins found in modern-day Turkey can be dated based on other artifacts that were found along with them, which included fragments of pottery.
“This hoard will provide a firm date that can serve as an anchor to help fix the chronology of the (entire sequence of coins),” Ratté said, per the news release.
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Findings such as this one help historians gain a better grasp on the chronological timeline of the Persian daric and more about its history, though archaeologists aren’t always so lucky with their finds. Sometimes, looters get to the ancient treasure first.
“An archaeological find without contextual information is like a person suffering from amnesia – a person without memories,” Ratté said. “It is still interesting and important, but the loss of knowledge is incalculable.”
This was the case during the excavation of three burial mounds in the Turkish region of Kazakhstan that was announced in May 2024. Archaeologists found that two of the burial mounds were looted, but the third revealed ancient treasures, including gold jewelry.
Luckily, the discovery of the gold coins provided a lot of valuable information to researchers.
“In the case of this hoard, we know precisely where it was found, and we have a great deal of circumstantial evidence for when it was deposited, probably in the late fifth century B.C.,” Ratté said.
The use of these coins thousands of years ago is thought to be as a means to pay mercenary troops.
“According to the Greek historian Xenophon, a single daric was equivalent to a soldier’s pay for one month,” Ratté said.
The exact series of events that led to the hoard of coins being left behind by its owner is unknown, but many theories suggest an extreme sense of urgency to bury the precious metal and the inability to regain it back.
Christopher Ratté, an archaeologist from the University of Michigan, led the discovery of this ancient find. (Notion Archaeological Project/University of Michigan)
“The discovery of such a valuable find in a controlled archaeological excavation is very rare,” Ratté said, according to the press release. “No one ever buries a hoard of coins, especially precious metal coins, without intending to retrieve them. So only the gravest misfortune can explain the preservation of such a treasure.”
The hoard was found in the corner of a room, “presumably stored there for safekeeping and for some reason, never recovered,” according to the archaeologist.
Military conflict is one theory that could point to the forgotten coins. One event in particular that could have been the reason for the coins being left behind happened between 430 B.C. and 427 B.C., when Persian sympathizers and Greek mercenaries occupied Notion.
During this time, an Athenian general killed pro-Persian mercenaries in the city and Notion fell under Athenian control.
Another event that could explain the gold coins being left in the house is the 406 B.C. naval battle during the conflict between Athens and Sparta. This battle was fought off the cost of the ancient Greek city.
Events such as these could explain why the hoard was never retrieved, according to Ratté.
As of now, the coins are being further studied at the Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Turkey.
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One of the leading American institutes devoted to research on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program sounded an alarm this week over the regime’s uninspected underground site in the Zagros Mountains.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have not been allowed to visit the secret site, known as Pickaxe Mountain.
The highly fortified facility is casting serious doubt on Iran’s willingness to abide by the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) reached with the Trump administration. The United States, together with Israel, launched Operation Epic Fury Feb. 28, 2026, targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
Experts from the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) argue that halting work at Pickaxe Mountain and allowing IAEA inspectors access would be a key good-faith measure to test whether Iran is prepared to abandon its pattern of deception.
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A satellite image shows an overview of the Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex in Natanz. (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)
Spencer Faragasso, a senior fellow with the group who covers Iran, North Korea, illicit trade, and nuclear issues, wrote on X: “Important update by us at @TheGoodISIS. The ongoing work at Pickaxe Mountain is deeply concerning. This work has continued steadily since at least 2020. In my view, this is a hedge by Iran in case negotiations fail — they will then have a nuclear facility in a late stage of construction. We assessed that Pickaxe is likely large enough to hold an enrichment plant.”
Iran has used facilities at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan to enrich uranium, the key material for a nuclear weapons program.
Faragasso added, “If Iran is serious about negotiating, it should halt construction at Pickaxe Mountain as a token of good faith. But what can be expected from a regime as brutal and conniving as Iran’s?”
The institute posted a detailed analysis of new satellite imagery from late June 2026 showing continued activity at Pickaxe Mountain.
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Vice President JD Vance prior to a meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Bürgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, June 21, 2026. (Fabrice Coffrini/Keystone via AP)
The institute wrote that “at Pickaxe Mountain, vehicle activity can be seen on the roads leading to the open set of Western tunnel portals, indicating that construction inside the tunnel complex, as well as hardening of the tunnel entrance, are ongoing. The MOU signed between the United States and Iran requires that Iran maintain the status quo, which should prohibit construction at any nuclear-related facility, including Pickaxe Mountain.”
In late June, the IAEA declined to answer a detailed Fox News Digital query on whether it would seek access to the Pickaxe Mountain facility. According to the satellite imagery obtained by the institute, “at Natanz, little activity can be seen. The access points to the below-ground enrichment halls have not been repaired.
“The personnel entrances remain destroyed, and vehicle entrances remain severely damaged. A single vehicle can be seen on the road outside of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP), which was destroyed in June 2025 but was later covered by Iran.”
As U.S.-Iran talks opened Sunday in Switzerland, and a dispute over who controls and monitors billions of dollars in potentially unfrozen Iranian assets emerged. (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool via Reuters)
The institute also reported, “As of June 29, 2026, there is no observed activity at Esfahan. The tunnel portals remain backfilled with dirt.” ISIS tracked developments at the Fordow site, buried inside a mountain north of the holy Islamic city of Qom.
“At Fordow, as earlier reported by the Institute, between May 10 and May 18, Iran added passive defensive measures in the form of earthen/rocky mounds and other objects on the roads leading to the tunnel entrances. The alternating placements of the piles/objects are very precise, which creates a series of chicanes, indicating they are not intended as obstructions but rather to prevent rapid ingress and egress by any vehicle toward the tunnels.”
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The institute added, “The June 21 Vantor image shows that the objects along the road remain there. The tunnel portals also remain backfilled with dirt” at Fordow.
Fox News Digital sent questions to the State Department and the Iranian Mission to the United Nations.
Published On 6 Jul 2026
The funeral procession for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has begun in Tehran as authorities prepare for crowds that could rival those that turned out for his predecessor nearly four decades ago.
After lying in state for two days at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex, the body of Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the United States-Israel war on Iran, began its journey on Monday through the capital, accompanied by large crowds of mourners, state broadcaster IRIB reported.
Authorities are hoping to avoid a repeat of the chaos that marred the 1989 funeral of Khamenei’s predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini, which drew an estimated 10 million people, according to the state news agency IRNA.
Crowd surges during Khomeini’s funeral killed more than 10 people and injured over 10,000.
Thousands filled the Grand Mosalla on Sunday to pay their respects to Khamenei and his four family members who were killed with him on February 28 in air strikes on his office in Tehran.
Monday’s procession will be followed by similar events in the clerical hub of Qom on Tuesday and in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday, culminating in Khamenei’s burial in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran on Thursday.
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