On Thursday Greece is set to return to Turkey 1,055 ancient Lydian coins, seized by the Greek authorities, a move that highlights the increased cooperation between the two countries in fighting smuggling and the illegal trade in antiquities.
The coins seized at the border station of Kipi at Evros were products of illegal excavation and trafficking and had been illegally exported from Turkey. Their return is set to take place in a special ceremony at the Numismatic Museum, where Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni will deliver the 7th BC to the 5th BC century coins to her Turkish counterpart Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
Their analysis revealed that the silver coins included pieces minted by the Lydians, an Anatolian civilization credited with minting the first coins in history.
Greece and Turkey cooperate for the return of the Lydian coins
The collection also contains coins minted in Tarsus, Side, Aspendos and Soli-Pompeiopolis. The experts’ report emphasized that these coins are significant in revealing the pivotal role of Anatolia in Mediterranean trade and its importance as a key transit point in the region.
Following the identification, intensive and uninterrupted negotiations between Turkish and Greek authorities ensured the return of these Anatolian-origin coins.
“This restitution between Türkiye and Greece sends a strong message about the commitment to fighting such crimes,” a spokesperson of the Turkish Ministry of Culture told the daily Hurriyet.
“Enhanced communication between all units working to prevent cultural heritage smuggling in both countries will contribute to reducing such incidents in the region. With these latest restitutions, a total of 1,149 artifacts have been repatriated in 2024 alone, 8,953 since 2018 and 13,268 since 2002, returning to the lands where they were created,” the spokesperson added.
Lydian coins the first money in the world
Ancient Lydia holds the distinction of creating the first coins in the world; at first not much more than blobs of metal with basic stamps, they soon evolved into beautiful works of art in and of themselves, featuring figures from Greek mythology.
Created as a means to authenticate payment, coinage represents a sea change in human development that was part of the increasing complexity in trade between peoples as far back as 600 B.C.
Coinage as we know it today was minted first in Lydia, an Anatolian kingdom with ancient Greek ties. In the realm of the legendary King Croesus, it is only fitting that the coins produced there were of shining gold and silver.
According to Hurriyet, the confiscated coins, after being preserved and cleaned at the Istanbul Restoration and Conservation Center and the Regional Laboratory, will then be exhibited at the Archaeological Museums of Istanbul.
Croesus is responsible for constructing the temple of Artemis (Artimu in Lydian), which was one of what many historians consider to be the seven wonders of the world; Lydians and Greeks worshiped the same gods, as is seen on their coinage.
The Lydian stater became the official coin of the Lydian Empire, which flourished for many years before it fell to the Persian Empire. The earliest coins of any on the planet are believed to date back to approximately the second half of the 7th century BC, during the reign of King Alyattes, who was in power from 619 to 560 BC.