A middle school student from the district of Çanakkale, Turkey, made a historical discovery while wandering in the Balıkesir. Named Ali Osman Islak, the student found an approximately 1,000-year-old coin belonging to the Eastern Roman Empire period during his exploration in the area.
Upon discovering the ancient coin, Islak informed his social studies teacher, Erdinç Özdinç. Recognizing the importance of the find, Özdinç arranged for the coin to be delivered to the Troya Museum in Çanakkale. Together, they presented the coin to museum officials for further examination.
"Ali Osman Islak, a student of Lapseki Hüseyin Akif Terzioğlu Middle School, delivered the coin belonging to the Eastern Roman Empire period, which he found in Edremit, to our museum accompanied by his social studies teacher Erdinç Özdinç. After Necdet, who donated a Roman period stele to our museum at the age of 11 in 1934, and 10-year-old Onur Çimen, who donated the coin he found near his home last year, Ali Osman Islak has become our third child donor. Our cultural assets are entrusted to Alis, Necdets, Onurs. Like our past, our future is entrusted to them. Long live, children," the Troya Museum said in a statement, according to Milliyet.
After examination, the Troya Museum determined that the coin dates back to the 10th century CE and belongs to the Eastern Roman Empire period.
The director of the Troya Museum, Rıdvan Gölcük, expressed his gratitude towards Islak and his teacher for their responsible action in bringing the coin to the museum. "We thank student Ali Osman Islak and teacher Erdinç Özdinç for their sensitivity in delivering the coin," Gölcük said, according to Gazete Duvar.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq