2000 Gold Coins (Photo : www.bbc.com)
Scuba divers discovered the largest gold coins trove ever found around the Israeli area in the Mediterranean coast. Almost 2000 pieces of gold coins dating way back 1000 years ago were discovered in the seabed of the Israel's Mediterranean coast by a group of divers.
The Antiquities Authority said the discovered gold coins were so valuable that it's priceless. The divers were exploring an area of Caesarea for an old harbor when they spotted the gold coins. They thought they were only toy coins but realized quickly of their discovery, BBC reported.
The group of divers informed the local authorities of their find. According to the Antiquities Authority, those coins were circulated by the Fatimid Caliphate, which ruled much of the Middle East and North Africa from 909 to 1171.
"The largest treasure of gold coins discovered in Israel was found in recent weeks on the seabed in the ancient harbor in Caesarea," explained the Israel's Antiquities Authority.
With the help of metal detectors, all 2000 coins were brought up to the surface. It weighed about 13 pounds. Archaeologists thought that there may have more scattered coins in the area they started to launch a deeper excavation, according to ABC News.
Antiquities Authority disclosed that the coins did not need any cleaning at all. They were shiny like new despite its 1000 years age. Robert Kool told Haaretz, an Antiquities Authority coin expert said that in his 23 years of work experiences in the industry this is his first time to see a cache this size. The preservation of the gold coins was excellent.
No monetary value was given to the discovered coins; authorities described the treasures as priceless.
