The coins date from the Hellenic period, which ranges from 4th to the 1st centuries B.C. after Macedonian warrior-king Alexander the Great spread Greek culture into Middle East and beyond with his conquests.
Kanjo added that the box contained two groups of coins, 137 "tetra" drachmas (four drachmas) and 115 single drachma coins.
One side of the tetra drachma coins depicts Alexander the Great, while the other side shows the Greek god Zeus sitting on a throne with an eagle perched on his extended arm.
Some of the coins bear the inscription King Alexander in Greek, while others say Alexander or carry the name of King Philip, most likely referring to his father.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124329234
From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Geekazoid.
Sometimes, these "discoveries" are staged, often in order to give a background to illegally looted treasures.
felixthecat, England has a similar procedure for antiquities found like this.
Should read "Hellenistic period."
Both terms share their root in the word "Hellas," the ancient name for the Greek Isles. "Hellenic" is the adjectival form, meaning simply "Greek" or "Grecian." "Hellenic Period" refers to the entire thousand year span of ancient Greek History.
"Hellenistic Period" refers to the period following the great military campaigns of Alexander the Great. In this case, "Hellenistic" refers to the aggressive expansion of Greek culture in all the territories conquered by Alexander.
This is an exclamation? I must be missing something.