Stash of 1,000-yr-old gold coins unearthed by teens in Israel
Stash of 1,000-yr-old gold coins unearthed by teens in Israel
BusinessToday.In
- Aug 26, 2020,
- Updated Aug 26, 2020 9:51 AM IST
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Israeli youths have unearthed 425 gold coins stashed away in a clay vessel for more than a thousand years. The treasure was discovered by teenagers volunteering at an excavation in central Israel where a new neighbourhood is planned to be built.
Here's how the coins were discovered.
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Israeli archaeologist Shahar Krispin counts gold coins buried in a pottery vessel that was discovered at an archeological site in central Israel. Israeli archaeologists have announced the discovery of a trove of early Islamic gold coins during recent salvage excavations near the central city of Yavn Tel Aviv. The collection of 425 complete gold coins, most dating to the Abbasid period around 1,100 years ago, is an "extremely rare" find.
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Shahar Krispin displays a gold coin that was discovered at an archeological site in central Israel.The area it was found in housed workshops at the time the treasure was hidden and the identity of the owner is still a mystery.
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Dating back to the ninth century Abbasid Caliphate period, the 425 24-carat pure gold coins would have been a significant amount of money at the time, said Robert Kool, a coin expert at the Antiquities Authority.
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The area it was found in housed workshops at the time the treasure was hidden and the identity of the owner is still a mystery.
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"It was amazing," said Oz Cohen, one of the volunteers who found the treasure.
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With such a sum, a person could buy a luxurious house in one of the best neighbourhoods in Fustat, the enormous wealthy capital of Egypt in those days, said Robert Kool, a coin expert at the Antiquities Authority.
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The coins were in excellent condition as if buried the day before.