Israeli Divers Discover 1,000 Year Old Coins

Daniel 12:4 NLT “But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase."

A group of Israeli divers are being hailed as heroes after uncovering what one government agency calls the “biggest ancient coin find in the nation’s history.”

The divers said they first found what looked like a toy coin from a children’s game on the ocean floor.  Curious to see how it came to rest there, they discovered that the coin was part of a treasure trove of coins with Arabic writing.

The coins were dated to the 11th century when the Fatimid Islamic dynasty was the dominant power of the Middle East.

“(This is) a great treasure from a (vessel) that was probably taking the hoard, possibly tax revenue, to Cairo but sank in Caesarea harbour,” Jacob Sharvit of the Israel Antiquities Authority told Reuters during a visit to the site.

“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,” Sharvit added.

The value of the gold is around $240,000.

Archaeologists that have studied the coins say they have found tooth marks and bent edges that indicate the coins were tested as part of trading.

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