http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/offbeat/israeli-divers-stumble-upon-large-stash-of-medieval-coins/ar-BBhI0hJ?ocid=ansnewsap11Israeli divers stumble upon large stash of medieval coinsKobi Sharvit of The Israel Antiquities Authority holds Fatimid-period gold coins that were found in the seabed in the Mediterranean Sea near the port of Caesarea National Park in Caesarea, Israel, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. A group of amateur Israeli divers have stumbled upon the largest collection of medieval gold coins ever found in the country, dating back to the 11th century and likely from a shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea. ? © AP Photo/Ariel Schalit Kobi Sharvit of The Israel Antiquities Authority holds Fatimid-period gold coins that were found in the seabed in the Mediterranean Sea near the port of Caesarea National Park in Caesarea, Israel, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. A…
CAESAREA, Israel — A group of amateur Israeli divers have stumbled upon the largest collection of medieval gold coins ever found in the country, dating back to the 11th century and likely from a shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Israel Antiquities Authority said Wednesday that the find consists of 2,000 coins, weighing about 6 kilograms (13 pounds).
Kobi Sharvit, director of the authority's marine archaeology unit, says the coins were likely swept up in recent storms near the Israeli port city of Caesarea.
He says they probably came from a boat that sank on its way to deliver tax money to Egypt about 1,000 years ago, or that it came from a merchant ship trading among Mediterranean coastal cities.
He says it's a "fascinating and rare historical evidence" from the Fatimid era.
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/israels-largest-hoard-of-medieval-gold-coins-found-by-amateur-divers/article23044662/Israel’s largest-ever cache of medieval gold coins found by amateur divers ARIEL SCHALIT
CAESAREA, ISRAEL — The Associated Press
Published Wednesday, Feb. 18 2015, 9:21 AM EST
Last updated Wednesday, Feb. 18 2015, 9:29 AM EST
Israel on Wednesday unveiled the largest collection of medieval gold coins ever found in the country, accidentally discovered by amateur divers and dating back about a thousand years.
The find was made two weeks ago near the Israeli port city of Caesarea and consists of some 2,000 coins, weighing about six kilograms, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.
The coins were likely swept up in recent storms, said Kobi Sharvit, director of the authority’s marine archaeology unit, adding that they provided “fascinating and rare historical evidence” from the Fatimid era in the 10th and 11th centuries.
The divers initially thought they had spotted toy coins but later showed a few of them to officials.
Marine archeologists, using metal detectors, then found the larger haul with coins of various denominations, dimensions and weight. The divers handed over all the coins.
Sharvit said they probably came from a boat that sank on its way to deliver tax money to Egypt or from a merchant ship trading among Mediterranean coastal cities.
He said archeologists hope further excavations at the site of the find will make it possible “to supplement our understanding of the entire archaeological context, and thus answer the many questions that still remain unanswered about the treasure.”
Robert Kool, the Israel Antiquities Authority’s curator of coins, said the find was in excellent condition. The coins did not require any cleaning or conservation despite having been at the bottom of the sea for about a millennium.
“Gold is a noble metal and is not affected by air or water,” he said. “Several of the coins that were found in the assemblage were bent and exhibit teeth and bite marks, evidence they were ‘physically’ inspected by their owners or the merchants.”
The earliest coin exposed in the treasure was a quarter-dinar minted in Palermo, Sicily, in the second half of the ninth century.
Most of the coins, though, appear to have belonged to two Fatimid caliphs and minted later. The Fatimid kingdom ruled Northern Africa beginning in the 10th century.
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http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2015/02/17/Divers-find-trove-of-gold-coins-off-Israeli-coast/7181424220345/#ixzz3S79inXYwNearly 2,000 gold coins were discovered off the coast of the ancient city of Caesarea, Israel. The gold coins are about 1,000 years old, and were minted by the Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled much of North Africa at the time. Photo courtesy of Israel Antiquities Authority
Divers find trove of gold coins off Israeli coastBy Danielle Haynes | Feb. 17, 2015 at 8:18 PM
CAESAREA, Israel, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- A group of amateur scuba divers shocked archaeologists when it discovered a hoard of 2,000 ancient gold coins off the coast of Israel.
A recent winter storm shifted sands off the coast of Caesarea in recent weeks, unearthing the trove of coins dating back about 1,000 years. The harbor city dates back to the days of King Herod the Great about 2,000 years ago.
The Israel Antiquities Authority searched the site and helped uncover the find. The divers initially thought the coins were toys.
"Despite the fact they were at the bottom of the sea for about a thousand years, they did not require any cleaning or conservation intervention from the metallurgical laboratory," Robert Cole, a numismatist with the Israel Antiquities Authority, said in a statement.
The oldest coin was minted in 9th-century Italy. Most were minted in North Africa and Egypt between 996 and 1036.
"There is probably a shipwreck there of an official treasury boat, which was on its way to the central government in Egypt with taxes that had been collected," Kobi Sharvit, director of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said of how the coins got to be on the ocean floor. "Perhaps the treasure of coins was meant to pay the salaries of the Fatimid military garrison, which was stationed in Caesarea and protected the city."
It's also possible the coins were on a merchant ship that sunk.