Divers find record 2,000 gold coins off Israel's coast
Members of a diving club were in for the adventure of a lifetime when they found roughly 2,000 gold coins in Israel's ancient harbor of Caesarea.
The 20 pounds of coins are more than 1,000 years old, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority. The haul marks the largest trove of gold coins ever found off Israel's Mediterranean coast. Yoli Schwartz, a spokesperson for the antiquities authority, told AFP the trove is "so valuable that it's priceless."
Experts believe the coins date to the Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled in the Middle East and North Africa from 909 to 1171, AFP reports. Kobi Sharvit, director of marine archaeology at the Israel Antiquities Authority, said the country would carry out further excavations to better understand the treasure's origin. Sharvit believes a treasury boat carrying a collection of taxes or military salaries was shipwrecked in the area.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Political cartoons for February 21Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include consequences, secrets, and more
-
Crisis in Cuba: a ‘golden opportunity’ for Washington?Talking Point The Trump administration is applying the pressure, and with Latin America swinging to the right, Havana is becoming more ‘politically isolated’
-
5 thoroughly redacted cartoons about Pam Bondi protecting predatorsCartoons Artists take on the real victim, types of protection, and more
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
