A rare ancient Greek coin from the 3rd century BC has been discovered in Spandau, Berlin. The bronze coin, measuring around 12 millimeters in diameter, was found by a 13-year-old student on agricultural land. It is the first archaeological find from Greek antiquity within the city area. The coin can be seen at PETRI Berlin.

The Hellenistic coin was minted between approximately 281 and 261 BC in Ilion (ancient Troy, in what is now northwestern Turkey). On the front it features the head of the goddess Athena wearing a Corinthian helmet. On the reverse Athena Ilias is depicted with a kalathos (a special type of headdress), holding a spear in her raised right hand and a spindle in her left.

At first, it was unclear whether the object was an archaeological find or a modern collector’s item that had been lost. However, an examination of the site by specialists revealed clear evidence that the area had long been used as a burial ground. Pottery fragments, cremated remains, and a bronze double button indicate a Bronze Age or Early Iron Age cemetery. Additional finds from the Roman Imperial period and a Slavic knife sheath fitting show that the site was also used in later eras.

Finds from Classical Antiquity are generally rare in Berlin. While Roman objects have occasionally been discovered, ancient Greek finds had previously been entirely absent. The current discovery is therefore considered scientifically significant.

How the coin from ancient Greece reached north-central Europe has not yet been conclusively determined. It is known, however, that trade contacts existed already in antiquity between the Baltic region and the Mediterranean. In particular, amber (ēlektron in Greek) was imported from the north. The voyage of the Greek explorer Pytheas around 330 BC is also associated with these trade relations.

Because of its low material value—the coin weighs about 7 g—and because it was found on what is believed to be a burial site, it is assumed that it had more of a symbolic than an economic function. Thus, it offers new clues about the cultural contacts between the north European area and the Greek world in antiquity.