Byzantine Coin Hoards in the Eskişehir Eti Archaeology Museum, Turkey

Located within the region historically known as mountainous Phrygia, and as Phrygia Salutaris during the Early Byzantine period, modern-day Eskişehir was referred to as Dorylaion (Dorlion) in Greek during antiquity and the Middle Ages. Positioned along the strategic route between Constantinople and the Cilician Gates, the city served as an important assembly point for military forces. Throughout the Early Byzantine and Early Medieval periods, Dorylaion lay along the path of Persian and Arab incursions and later became a frontier zone in the power struggles involving the Seljuks and Turkmen groups. This paper focuses on eight distinct hoards of gold, silver, and bronze coins housed in the coin collection of the Eskişehir Eti Archaeology Museum, which are dated to the period between the 7th and 13th centuries. Established in 1966, the museum initially acquired coins through donations and purchases. In subsequent years, the museum’s collection expanded through rescue excavations conducted in Eskişehir and its surrounding districts and villages, as well as through the confiscation of coins recovered from illicit excavations and continued acquisitions by the museum. Within this historical framework, the coins preserved in the Eskişehir Eti Archaeology Museum not only reflect the economic and commercial life of their time but also serve as material witnesses to the region's shifting political control. The gold, silver, and bronze coins from the eight hoards provide significant insights into monetary circulation and hoarding practices in Anatolia during the Late Byzantine and Early Islamic periods. In conclusion, when evaluated in terms of both the urban history of Eskişehir and the formation of the museum’s numismatic collection, this study offers valuable data for understanding local history, the Byzantine frontier, and the numismatic heritage of Anatolia.