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.
ART HISTORIAN SPOTS ANCIENT PORTRAIT THOUGHT TO BE LOST IN BACKGROUND OF PHOTO SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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.
UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER ANCIENT OBJECTS DURING DIVE IN BULGARIA BAY
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.
World
Colin Jost Says ‘SNL’ Rejected Joke About Pete Hegseth Reading ‘Pulp Fiction’ Bible Verse Two Weeks Before It Happened in Real Life
Donald Trump’s defense secretary Pete Hegseth was widely mocked in April after he read a fake Bible verse from Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 classic “Pulp Fiction” during a Pentagon worship service. It turns out Colin Jost sort of saw it coming.
During a recent visit to “The Tonight Show,” Jost revealed that before Hegseth’s viral gaffe he told the “SNL” writers room: “Would it be funny if Hegseth just did that Bible verse that they have in ‘Pulp Fiction’ Remember, from Ezekiel, Samuel L. Jackson?”
The writers shot down Jost’s pitch, deeming it “too ridiculous” and claiming it “would take up all this time in the cold open. “And then he for real did it, like two weeks later and I was like, ‘Well, the good news is, I’m being surveilled, so that’s a relief.’” Jost has been playing Hegseth on “SNL” this season to much acclaim from critics and viewers.
The real Hegseth was at a Pentagon prayer service in April when he read the altered version of Ezekiel 25:17 that’s delivered by Samuel L. Jackson’s character in “Pulp Fiction” before he shoots a man. Hegseth said the prayer was recited by the “Sandy 1” Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission in Iran.
Calling on everyone to pray with him, Hegseth then read a prayer that was nearly word-for-word the line delivered by Jackson in Tarantino’s film: “The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of camaraderie and duty shepherds the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother, and you will know my call sign is Sandy 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee. Amen.”
Watch Jost’s full interview on “The Tonight Show” in the video below.
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A car reportedly drove into a crowd in the northern Italian city of Modena on Saturday, injuring several people.
The vehicle slammed into a store window, and its driver allegedly stabbed a passerby who attempted to intervene, Reuters reported, citing local Italian media.
Mayor Massimo Mezzetti told Italian TV no one was killed but eight people were injured, including four who were in critical condition, according to The Associated Press.
Blood is seen next to a destroyed car on a street of Modena, Italy, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)
He said a woman pinned against a shop window may require the amputation of both legs.
Financial Police patrol a scene after a car incident in a street of Modena, Italy, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Lapresse via AP)
The driver is a 31-year-old man born in Bergamo and raised in Modena with Maghreb origins, Mezzetti said.
The man was detained and was being questioned at police headquarters as authorities worked to determine whether he was under the influence of substances or acted deliberately, the mayor said.
Mezzetti said the vehicle entered one of the city’s main streets and “drove onto the sidewalk, sending several people flying,” before crashing into the shop window.
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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Published on •Updated
A tragedy unfolded in the night between Friday and Saturday on the island of Lampedusa, where a newborn migrant baby girl just a few weeks old died of hypothermia immediately after disembarking and while being rushed to the island’s outpatient clinic.
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At 4.30 a.m., after being rescued by the V1307 patrol boat of the Guardia di Finanza, 55 people from Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Sierra Leone landed at Favarolo pier. Among them were seven women and six minors. The baby girl, whose condition immediately appeared critical, was taken together with her mother to the medical facility, where doctors could do nothing but declare her dead.
Investigation opened into the baby girl’s death
The Agrigento prosecutor’s office has opened an inquiry into the tragic case and ordered a post-mortem examination of the child’s body, a necessary step to confirm hypothermia as the actual cause of death.
The body is being transferred to the mortuary at the Cala Pisana cemetery, while in the coming hours the mother will be questioned by investigators to reconstruct the details of the crossing and establish exactly how and when the baby fell ill.
According to accounts from other migrants on board, the group had set off from Sfax-El Amra in Tunisia at around two o’clock yesterday morning, making the journey in a seven-metre metal boat that cost between 400 and 600 euros per person.
The baby girl’s mother, originally from Côte d’Ivoire, was later taken to the hotspot in the Imbriacola district together with her other daughter, aged around two. According to reports, the woman is currently in a severe state of shock over the loss of her child and is receiving continuous support from staff of the Italian Red Cross, which manages the island’s reception centre.
The centre’s director, Imad Dalil, confirmed to Italian media that psychosocial support measures had been activated. “The mother and the sister are here in the hotspot and are in good physical condition; for them and for the other people psychological support was activated immediately and in the coming hours the medical and psychosocial teams will continue their work,” he said.
NGOs’ reaction
The German NGO Sea-Watch voiced its outrage in a strongly worded post on X. “While the state attacks those who save lives at sea, investigating the captain of Sea-Watch, a one-month-old baby has arrived in LAMPEDUSA, dead in her mother’s arms, after a three-day crossing. Who will be held responsible for this injustice?” The outburst refers to the news, received by the NGO after arriving in Brindisi with 166 rescued people, that a criminal investigation has been opened against the captain of the Sea-Watch 5 on suspicion of aiding illegal entry.
The UN agency specialising in the protection and assistance of people forced to flee war, violence and persecution (UNHCR) also intervened to express deep condolences and grave concern over yet another victim claimed along the Mediterranean routes.
“A mother has lost her newborn daughter, who arrived dead this morning together with 54 other people in Lampedusa. Deep sorrow and concern for the many children and adults who should not be dying in the Mediterranean,” reads a post published on social media by UNHCR, which explains that the agency is on the ground providing assistance to the mother and all the other survivors of the landing.
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