Greece returns stolen ancient coin hoard to Türkiye

Greece on Dec. 19 returned a hoard of over 1,000 stolen ancient coins to Türkiye in the first repatriation of its kind between the historic rivals and neighbors.

The move came a few months after Türkiye publicly supported Greece in its long quest to reclaim the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum in London.

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said the hoard of 1,055 silver coins had been seized by Greek customs guards on the border with Türkiye in 2019.

"These coins had been illegally imported," Mendoni said at a ceremony at the Numismatic Museum, which specializes in currency and medal collections, in Athens.

Greeks are "particularly sensitive" to repatriation issues, she said.

"All illegally exported antiquities from whichever country should return to their country of origin," Mendoni added.

Greek and Turkish experts determined that the coins were part of a stock hidden in Asia Minor between the late 5th and early 4th century B.C., she added.

Turkish Culture Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the operation was the first repatriation from Greece, also thanked Mendoni and the Numismatic Museum officials. 

While research is ongoing, it is possible the hoard was secreted in modern-day Türkiye during the Persian Wars expeditions of Athenian general Cimon, a veteran of the 480 B.C. Battle of Salamis, she added.

Most of the cache were tetradrachms — ancient large silver coins — originally minted in Athens and used broadly in the eastern Mediterranean, said Museum Numismatologist Vassiliki Stefanaki, a coinage expert.

Stamped with the image of an owl, the Athenian relics were also used locally to pay tribute to the Persian Empire, and Persian governors used them to reward their troops, she said.