Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive of the Treasure Beaches Report.
 |
| Hoard of Gold Coins Found in the Corner of an Excavated Ancient Room. |
The coins show a figure of a kneeling archer, the characteristic design of the Persian daric, a type of gold coin issued by the Persian Empire and probably minted at Sardis...
Darics were minted from the late sixth century B.C. until the conquest of the Persian empire by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C., and the design of the coins remained the same with only minor stylistic differences. The coins weigh approximately 8.4 grams and are on average 16 millimeters in diameter, a little smaller than the diameter of a dime...
“The hoard was found in the corner of a room in a structure buried beneath the Hellenistic house. Presumably, it was stored there for safekeeping and for some reason never recovered,” Ratté said. “According to the Greek historian Xenophon, a single daric was equivalent to a soldier’s pay for one month.”
Researchers believe that one of the primary uses of the daric was to pay mercenary troops, and it is possible that this hoard was associated with military operations in the area around Notion.
Ratté also notes that most hoards of darics have been found not by archaeologists in scientific excavations, but by looters who have “no concern for history.”
Here is the link for the rest of the article.
---
 |
| Wampum Found in Newfoundland. |
Wampum are white and purple tubular beads made from quahog and whelk shells. They were used by Indigenous peoples on continental northeastern North America for ornamental and ceremonial purposes, and they were woven into belts as mnemonic devices to record traditions, historic events, diplomacy and laws...
They were also used as currency and for trading, and that's how the group of archaeologists working in Ferryland believes they arrived at the Colony of Avalon.
"English merchants or Dutch merchants would have maybe traded with Indigenous people, acquired them ... and then brought them up to Ferryland and again traded them here," said Brydon...
Here is that link.
You probably know about the shell mound at Old Fort Park of Fort Pierce overlooking the Indian River. One of the nearby houses had an archaeological site in the backyard where numerous shell beads were found.
And if you keep your eyes open you might see shell artifacts laying on the surface. There are known archaeological sites along our Treasure Coast beaches and artifacts occasionally wash out of the dunes. I've told, for example, of the tourist at the Disney Resort that came up to me and asked if the item she found after beach erosion was an arrowhead. It was. I told her she could take it to the McClarty museum just up the road.
 |
| Florida Shell Tools. |
On the left is a scraper shaped for scraping something like an arrow shaft, for example. And on the right is a punch.
There is always a chance of seeing surface indigenous artifacts after beach erosion.
Respect archaeological sites and artifacts. There are some that could have walked right by without knowing it.
---
As I was saying, on Friday the three major stock indices closed at record highs.
---
 |
| Source: nhc.noaa.gov. |
 |
| Source: Surfguru.com. |