oins are found on nearly every archaeological site, no matter where in the world you are working, and in their simplest form they are simply pieces of metal, usually precious, that have been struck with a die to make a permanent impression on them. The die used to strike the metal is usually made by a central authority or governing body, and the use of it gives the metal a standard weight as well as authenticity. The earliest coins were, according to Herodotus, minted by the Kingdom of
