Bisbee daily review., 1922-06-20
Coins MIiGatCedl By Croesuls
 UjEnealEsG[hed

Thirty gold coins belonging to the first series of gold coins ever minted have been unearthed by American archeOlogists who are working on the buried ruins of Sardis, the ancient LG'- dian capital in Asia Minor. Fifteen of them may come to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
 They are of the coinage of Croesus the last King of Lydia and the first great international banker, whose name has been a symbol for wealth for nearly 2500 years.
 The coins were minted some time between 561 B. C., when Croesus as cended the throne of Lydia and 546, when he was captured by Cyrus, the Persian king. Some of the thirty 'staters,' as they are called, are as bright as new-minted pieces of United States gold money. They are lighter in hue, as they are of pure gold. Before this find, which is consider, ed one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in many years. there were only five "staters" known to be in eX- iStence. Four of these were so rubbed and worn that the lions head and bulls head were nearly effaced. One was in good condition. These five are in the British Museum.
 z News of this discovery was brought to the United States by Dr. T. Leslie Shear. an archaeologist of Columbia University, one of the members of the expedition who were present at the discovery Other members Of the par ty were Mrs. r. Leslie Shear, an au- thority on ancient painting and reeor- ative work; w. R. Berry, E. R. Holden an architect; Edward Stoever, engi- 11eer of the party, Cyrus Mccormick, an architect. The work is under the direction of Professor Howard Crosby Butler of Princeton, who arrived at Sardis after the discovery was made.
 Many other interesting relics of the Lydian, Greek and Roman periods of the ancient capital were discovered.
 Hidden During Siege by Cyrus
 The thirty pieces of gold. which was probably an enormous fortune in the days of the first gold currency, are thought to have been hidden by some wealthy Lydian in 546 while Sardis was besieged by Cyrus. They were found in tomb
 Some of the coins were little rubbed, indicating that they had bee in circulation few years. The fresh minted condition of some of them makes it almost a certainly that they were fashioned during or immediately after the reign Of Croesus
 The wealth Of the Lydian Kings has been celebrated at length by Herodo- tus. The source of the gold is sup posed to have been the River Pactolus which flows through the Kingdom. King Midas washed the golden touch from himself into this river and i'm pregnated the sands with the noble metal before be had shaken off the surse of automatic transmutatiOu. Some historians have discredited the theory that the Pactolus region was rich in gold and have argued that the undOubtcd wealth Of the kingdom was due to it's foreign trade. 1t is believed Oy the explorers of the site Of Sardis tbat tho riches of the Kingdom were due to mineral wealth and to it's geo. graphical positions, which made it the greatest trading center of the time
 The LYdian kings wero forced to be- come the great international exchange bankers of tho time. because their Kingdom lay across the old Royal Road Of trade from Persia, Baby lon and all the Orient to the Greek cities. aud probably to Egypt and other Medi tcrranean cities.
 Croesus not only coined gold but ad iusted his system of coinage to con. venicnt exchange basis with the sil- yer and copper coins of the Greeks in the west and tue Babylouians and oth CT Orientals on the cast. His father and predecessor, Alyattes, had made