2,300-Year-Old Silver Coin Hoard Unearthed in Mleiha Reveals Arabia’s Role in Hellenistic Trade

A vase holding 409 ancient silver coin treasures linked to Alexander the Great reshapes the history of the Arabian Peninsula.

A clay vase containing 409 silver coin tetradrachmas has been unearthed in Mleiha, Sharjah—one of the most remarkable Hellenistic finds in Arabia. The discovery connects the UAE directly to Alexander the Great’s legacy and ancient trade routes.

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A Vase That Hid an Empire’s Echo

During the 2021 excavation season, researchers at Mleiha unearthed a simple clay vessel weighing more than 9 kilograms. Inside, they found not food or water but an astonishing collection of silver coins minted during the 3rd century BC.

These were no ordinary coins: they carried the imagery of Alexander the Great and later evolved into hybrid designs that combined Greek iconography, Aramaic inscriptions, and Arabian motifs.

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Alexander the Great in Arabia

The earliest coins in the hoard depict Alexander as Hercules, wearing the lion-skin headdress, while Zeus sits enthroned on the reverse. This imagery demonstrates the enduring authority of Alexander’s symbolism, even decades after his empire fragmented.

As time passed, coin designs changed—reflecting local adaptation. Later issues carried inscriptions in Aramaic and regional symbols, showing how Arabian communities appropriated and reshaped Hellenistic models to assert their own identity and authority.

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Mleiha: A Desert Crossroads of Global Trade

Strategically positioned between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, Mleiha was far more than a farming outpost. Excavations reveal a fortified city with palaces, temples, workshops, and an advanced falaj irrigation system.

Merchants traveling through exchanged spices, incense, textiles, and precious metals, and they needed a currency that would be recognized internationally. The Mleiha coins fulfilled this need: familiar enough to circulate across the Mediterranean and Near East, yet distinctively Arabian in their evolution.

Comparable finds of Hellenistic-inspired coins in Bahrain, Kuwait, and across the Gulf confirm that Arabia was part of a regional monetary network, deeply integrated into ancient global commerce.

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Rewriting Arabia’s Ancient History

The Mleiha hoard challenges outdated views that Arabia was peripheral to the Hellenistic world. Instead, it shows the peninsula was a dynamic participant in international exchange, not a passive receiver of culture.

The coins illustrate a fusion of influences—Greek power symbols transformed into tools of Arabian political legitimacy and economic exchange. They demonstrate that cultural negotiation, not imitation, defined Arabia’s role in the ancient world.

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More Than Coins: A Window Into Civilization

Mleiha’s broader archaeological record extends back 130,000 years, with evidence of continuous human activity. By the time the hoard was buried, Mleiha had become an urban center, where accumulating and safeguarding such wealth was a statement of prestige and authority.

The hoard thus represents not just hidden treasure but a snapshot of Arabia’s cultural and economic transformation at the crossroads of East and West.

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Conclusion: Arabia as a Key Player in the Hellenistic World

The discovery of 409 silver coin tetradrachmas in Mleiha is more than a local curiosity—it is a revelation that rewrites the map of ancient trade and influence. From Alexander the Great’s heroic imagery to inscriptions in local scripts, the silver coins chart a journey of adaptation and cultural blending.

They confirm that the Arabian Peninsula was a vital crossroads of civilizations, where merchants, ideas, and power converged. What once seemed an isolated desert is revealed as a hub of global connectivity, shaping and reshaping the ancient world.

Sharjah Archaeology Authority (SAA)