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Israeli Teens Uncover 1,100-Year-Old Gold Coins

Yavne, Israel —(Map)

Two teens helping out on an archeological dig in Israel wound up striking gold – literally. The teenagers revealed a clay pot holding hundreds of gold coins over 1,100 years old.

The discovery took place in the central Israeli city of Yavne in late August. The teens were volunteering on the dig as part of a program designed to help young people make connections with history.

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The discovery took place in the central Israeli city of Yavne in late August. The teens were volunteering on the dig as part of a program designed to help young people make connections with history.

But the discovery has even surprised historians, and may help them learn more about what was going on in the area long ago.

Oz Cohen was one of the students who found the coins. “It was amazing,” he says. “I dug in the ground and when I excavated [cleared away] the soil, saw what looked like very thin leaves. When I looked again I saw these were gold coins. It was really exciting to find such a special and ancient treasure.”

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Oz Cohen (above) was one of the students who found the coins. “It was amazing,” he says. “I dug in the ground and when I excavated [cleared away] the soil, saw what looked like very thin leaves. When I looked again I saw these were gold coins.”

The teens uncovered 425 gold coins, called “dinars”, weighing about 1.86 pounds (845 grams). “The coins are made of pure 24-carat gold,” says Robert Kool, who works for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) as an expert in coins.

As gold, the coins have a current value of about $52,600. But their worth as historical treasures is much greater. The coins are from the 800s. That means they come from a time period that Mr. Kool says is one of the “least understood in Israel.”

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The teens uncovered 425 gold coins, called “dinars”, weighing about 1.86 pounds (845 grams). “The coins are made of pure 24-carat gold,” says Robert Kool, who works for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) as an expert in coins.

From 750 to 1258 A.D., the area was controlled by the Abbasid Caliphate. A caliphate is an Islamic kingdom or state. At any one time, the Caliphate would have been led by a single leader, called a caliph. But there would have been many local leaders.

Historians are excited about what the coins may tell them about this period. It’s expected that the coins will have the names of different leaders printed on them. The coins may also have the year in which they were made.

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Historians are excited about what the coins may tell them about the time period. It’s expected that the coins will have the names of different leaders printed on them. The coins may also have the year in which they were made.

Not all of the coins are whole coins. There are also 270 small gold cuttings – little sections cut out of coins. That was very common at the time, as a way of making change.

At least one of the small coin pieces has already taught historians something. That’s because it was cut from a coin called a “gold solidus” made in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), the capital of the Byzantine Empire. It’s the first such coin ever found in Israel and confirms that there were connections between the two empires.

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Not all of the coins are whole coins. There are also 270 small gold cuttings – little sections cut out of coins. That was very common at the time, as a way of making change.

The clay pot of gold coins is a treasure today, but it also had huge value back then. The coins were stored in a special clay jar that was sealed with a nail.

Though the treasure was hidden in an area that held workshops, it’s not clear who hid the money or why. Experts from the IAA said that whoever buried the treasure meant to come back and get it. Why they never did is a mystery.

(Front page image shows a gold dinar from the Abbasid Caliphate, found in Egypt. Source: Los Angeles County Museum of Art [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.)

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