. "One theory argues that coins originated ca. 600-550 BC in Anatolia, which corresponds to modern-day Turkey, in particular in the Anatolian kingdom of Lydia.[3][4] Opponents of the Lydia scenario point to the fact that coins of that era have been totally absent from archeological finds in Sardis, capital of Lydia.[5] A coin, by definition, is an object used to facilitate commerce and exchanges." . . .