Archaeologists in central Israel recently made an exciting discovery when they uncovered a rare hoard of 424 solid gold coins, dating back 1,100 years to the Abbasid period. The coins were discovered by teenagers participating in an archaeological dig in Yavne and were buried in a clay jar. The person who buried the treasure likely intended to retrieve it, even securing the vessel with a nail. It remains a mystery what prevented them from doing so
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Liat Nadav-Ziv and Dr. Elie Haddad of the Israel Antiquities Authority, who were also the directors of the excavation, explained that finding gold coins of this quantity is extremely rare. Typically, gold has always been of great value and would be melted down and reused over time. The coins were made of pure 24-karat gold and were found in excellent condition, as if they had been buried just the day before. 
The discovery of the gold coins is a valuable contribution to research and may indicate that there was international trade taking place between the residents of the region and other remote areas. The coins date back to the end of the 9th century when the region was under the control of the Islamic Abbasid Caliphate, a dynasty that ruled a vast territory from modern-day Algeria to Afghanistan. The coins weighed 845 grams and were a significant amount of money during that time. According to Dr. Robert Cole, a coin expert at the Antiquities Authority, a sum like this could have been enough to purchase a fancy house in one of the best neighborhoods in Fustat, the rich capital of Egypt at the time. 
One of the coins found in the dig is particularly rare and has never been found in Israel before. It is a fragment of a gold solidus of the Emperor Theophilus (829-842 CE) minted in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The presence of this coin in a cache of Islamic coins is evidence of the continuous connections between the two rival empires, even during times of war and peace. 
In conclusion, the finding of this rare treasure will likely be a major contribution to research as finds from the Abbasid period in Israel are relatively few. According to Dr. Kool, the study of the hoard will hopefully tell us more about this period of history, which is still not well understood.
Source: archeologynews.com
