[Verginius Rufus]

According to the Blue Guide to Egypt, Asyut is the largest and most important city of Upper Egypt. The ancient Egyptian name of the place was Zawty. The Greek name was Lykopolis, and the Coptic name Siout. St. John of Lykopolis (d. 394) was a teacher of such repute that the Emperor Theodosius I sent one of the imperial eunuchs to consult with him.

One of the most important finds of ancient Greek coins was made here in 1969--the Asyut hoard of 873 coins, thought to have been buried about 475 B.C. It has many coins from mainland Greece but also some from the Greek cities in Sicily, apparently something rarely found in ancient Egypt. See Archaic Greek coinage: the Asyut Hoard by Martin Price and Nancy Waggoner (London, 1975).

[NYer]

Thank you for posting that truly fascinating history on the city of Asyut and the ancient Greek coins. For those following this thread, here is an image of the coins.

For more information on their history, visit ARCHAIC GREEK SILVER COINAGE THE ASYUT HOARD