"Dirty" money from 3,000 years ago

A new study by the University of Haifa and the Hebrew University found evidence of a severe shortage of silver, manifested in the mixing of copper and silver in the southern Levant 3000 years ago *"The mixing of other substances such as arsenic in the silver coins, which made them appear silver in color, strengthens the belief that, at least in part of the period, it was a deliberate forgery," the researchers said

"Dirty money" from 3000 years ago in the Levant. A new joint study by the University of Haifa and the Hebrew University found evidence of a severe shortage of silver metal in the Levant, during the first Iron Age (between the years 1200-950), the period of settlement of the Israelite tribes in Canaan, which led to the creation of silver coins consisting of very little silver and a very high percentage of copper . "Despite the small percentage of silver in the silver coins, other substances such as arsenic were mixed into them which made them appear silver in color, which strengthens the hypothesis that at least in part of the period, it was a deliberate forgery," the researchers said.

In the current study, which is part of the doctoral thesis of Tsila Eshel from the University of Haifa under the guidance of Prof. Ayelet Gilboa from the University of Haifa, Prof. Yigal Aral and Dr. Naama Yahlom-Mack from the Hebrew University, andPublished in the journal PNAS The researchers examined silver traces found in eight different hoards from different sites in Israel, including Beit Shean, Megiddo and Ashkelon, which were dated to the period between 1200-950 BC. That period is known in history as the period of the collapse of the Hittite and Mycenaean empires, and the decline of Egypt's wealth, which caused a period of instability and scarcity in the southern Levant region - and according to some estimates, one of the reasons for the migration of the tribes of Israel from the Haran region to Canaan.

            According to the researchers, at that time coins had not yet been minted, and trading was done using silver coins - pieces of silver - which were unevenly shaped. Thus, the amount of silver from which the metal was composed was important. As part of Eshel's doctoral thesis and from other previous studies, it is known that the silver traces from the region from earlier periods (starting from 1900 BC) were made of almost 100% silver, as were the silver traces from later periods. However, when the researchers examined the chemical composition of these hoards, they discovered that it is an alloy that is mainly composed of copper, when in certain pieces of silver the percentage of copper reached 80%. The researchers also found that substances such as arsenic were also added to these alloys, so that they would give the ingot a silver color - unlike silver. According to them, there is no conclusive evidence that this is a forgery, but the fact that there was a deliberate attempt to make these metals look like silver strengthens this opinion. "In addition to the fact that there was a deliberate attempt to paint the metal silver, we found that in the ancient hoards the percentage of copper was higher and the amounts of arsenic were very similar from piece to piece. It looks like a very organized operation - which strengthens the assumption that it is a forgery," the researchers said.

            In light of the historical knowledge of the situation in the region and in light of the new findings, the researchers estimate that the period of 1200-950 BC in the southern Levant region was a time when the silver metal did not reach the region, however, since silver coins were an essential part of trade, initially there were fakes, but as the years passed and the shortage continued , the mixing of silver with copper became a well-known, but necessary operation.

            The researchers even tried to see if they could identify the source of the silver that was in these ingots, in order to understand how even the small amount that was there still arrived. An accepted process for such a test is to perform an isotope test for the lead found in the silver - a procedure that allows you to identify the source and the period from which it comes. Such an examination conducted by other researchers of silver from the period led them to the conclusion that the origin of the silver is from the region of Spain. However, in this study, the researchers found that since it is such a "dirty" alloy, it is impossible to perform the usual isotope test. Instead of this assessment, they estimate that based on a model they made, the copper in the alloy comes from the same period from mines in the Timna region. "It is likely that they used the silver that was already in the area from previous periods, to which they added the copper from the Timna area," they said.

            "In the book of Ezekiel, chapter XNUMX, the prophet prophesies a prophecy that deals with God's anger against the children of Israel and says: 'Son of man, let the house of Israel be to me like slag: all copper and tin and iron and lead, in a crucible of silver slag, were The sentence itself is of course a metaphor for the relationship between God and the Israelites, but in practice, it is quite possible that it describes a reality that was known at the time: an ingot of silver mixed with various metals such as tin, iron and ore", Eshel concluded.

for the scientific article

More of the topic in Hayadan:

• The Economy of the Land of Israel in Antiquity series by Dr. Yehiam Sorek (Although in later periods than the period studied here
• Two of the researchers who strengthened the connection between the sciences and archeology won the Dan David prize for the dimension of past time
• The Hammer That Made History: On Real Treasures, Archeology and Metal Detectors