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1,100-Year-Old Treasure Is Unearthed by Teenagers in Israel

Entertainment1,100-Year-Old Treasure Is Unearthed by Teenagers in Israel

The treasure needed to be secured. So the hoard of 425 gold coins was stowed in a clay jar, its lid secured with a nail, and stashed in the sands of what is now central Israel.

It then sat undisturbed for more than 1,100 years, until last week, when two 18-year-olds taking part in an archaeological excavation by a hillside in Yavneh noticed something unusual.

“I dug in the ground and, when I excavated the soil, saw what looked like very thin leaves,” said Oz Cohen, one of the teenagers. “When I looked again, I saw these were gold coins. It was really exciting to find such a special and ancient treasure.”

The teenagers were volunteers in a vast project linked to the construction of a community in Yavneh, south of Tel Aviv. The program offers the promise of connecting young people with history, and, while it is meant to be culturally rewarding, it is not often that someone strikes gold — literally.

The cutting of gold and silver coins was a regular feature of the monetary system in Islamic countries after the 850s with the sudden disappearance of bronze and copper coins, he said.

It would have been worth a small fortune at the time, Mr. Kool said.

“For instance,” he said, “a person could buy a luxurious house in one of the best neighborhoods in Fustat, the enormous wealthy capital of Egypt in those days.”

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