What began as a routine search for beachgoers’ lost belongings at one of Ashdod’s beaches last week turned into an archaeological treasure hunt when an ancient Cypriot silver siglos coin dating to the mid-5th century B.C.E. was discovered. The Jerusalem Post reports that the silver-plated coin, which originated in ancient Cyprus, offers valuable insight into trade between Cyprus and ancient Israel. Because the coin is silver-plated rather than made of solid silver, experts were able to date it to a period when Cyprus was experiencing a silver shortage.
Coins from Salamis from the 5th century BCE were circulated throughout the eastern Mediterranean, Evangeline Markou, a senior researcher at the Institute of Historical Research, National Hellenic Research Foundation, and an expert in ancient Cypriot coinage, noted.
Writing from Athens, she said that even so, “finds with an exact provenance are rarer, and therefore this coin potentially offers significant information about trade ties and movement between Cyprus and the Land of Israel during this period.”
Levy, representing the Israeli archaeological perspective, agreed with Markou.
“The circumstances of the discovery and the accurate reporting allow us researchers not only to identify the coin itself but also to use it as a reliable source of information about economic and maritime ties that existed in this region some 2,500 years ago,” he said.
The coin features a left-facing ram on one side and another ram enclosed within a square frame on the reverse. It is also a significant discovery because this type of coin has never before been found in Israel. It was discovered by Ashdod Beaches Department Deputy Director Avi Chaprak, who immediately turned it over to the Israel Antiquities Authority. Researchers say the coin originated in the Greek city of Salamis on the eastern coast of Cyprus during the reign of the Persian Empire—the same empire that ruled during the time of Esther.
Chaprak said, “For me, it was clear that the coin belonged to our collective heritage, so I immediately delivered it to the Israel Antiquities Authority. If, through this act, I contributed another small piece towards the research and history of the Land of Israel, then that is a great honor for me.”