Treasure Hunting

There’s a lot of news that comes out of the various oil-ridden countries in the middle east, but no matter what your opinion of these countries are, I think we can all agree that their history is interesting and the opportunities for treasure abound.

Archaeologists in Jerusalem National Park discovered 264 ancient gold coins. They were minted during the early 7th century and is one of the largest and most impressive coin hoards ever discovered in Jerusalem. Minted in the 7th century means that these coins are 1,400+ years old!

You may remember hearing about a well-reserved gold earring with pearls and emeralds. Well, this hoard was found in the same place, in what used to be a car lot. But long before the area was a parking lot, it was a building that dates back to the end of the Byzantine period. The excavation of the building is still in the early stages, and archaeologists say “Since no pottery vessel was discovered adjacent to the hoard, we can assume that it was concealed inside a hidden niche in one of the walls of the building. It seems that with the buildings collapse, the coins piled up there among the building debris.”

For pictures of the coins both BEFORE and AFTER cleaning, as well as a picture of the collapsed building/parking lot, visit CNN Online.

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