That ancient pocket change — among the oldest ever found in North America — could explain how pirate Capt. On Sept. 7, 1695, the pirate ship Fancy, commanded by Every, ambushed and captured the Ganj-i-Sawai, a royal vessel owned by Indian emperor Aurangzeb, then one of the world's most powerful men. Since then, other detectorists have unearthed 15 additional Arabian coins from the same era — 10 in Massachusetts, three in Rhode Island and two in Connecticut. It arrived with nearly four dozen slaves in 1696 in Newport, Rhode Island, which became a major hub of the North American slave trade in the 18th century. ———This story has been corrected to show that the Arabian coins are among the oldest found in North America, not the oldest.

Source: ABC News April 01, 2021 05:15 UTC