A cache of rare gold coins and a 900-year-old gold earring were discovered in the port of Caesarea

Antiquities Authority researchers: "It seems that the treasure is silent testimony to one of the dramatic events in the history of Caesarea - the violent Crusader occupation of the city by the Fatimids: someone hid all his wealth in the hope of returning and collecting it, but he never returned."

The fascinating discovery was uncovered during extensive excavation and conservation works in Caesarea carried out at the initiative of the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, which invests more than NIS 150 million in uncovering Caesarea's hidden treasures and upgrading the tourist product

Antiquities Authority researchers: "It seems that the treasure is silent testimony to one of the dramatic events in the history of Caesarea - the violent Crusader occupation of the city by the Fatimids: someone hid all his wealth in the hope of returning and collecting it, but he never returned."

Michael Charsanti, CEO of the Caesarea Development Company notes: "We were immediately prepared and the rare find is on display at the Caesarea port starting today, for the duration of the Hanukkah holiday"

A rare and important treasure including 24 gold coins and a gold earring was discovered a few days ago in the Caesarea National Park. This, as part of the large excavation and conservation project being carried out at the site, with an unprecedented investment of approximately 150 million NIS from the Edmund de Rothschild Foundation, and in cooperation between the Caesarea Development Company, the Antiquities Authority and the Nature and Parks Authority. The gold hoard was placed inside a small bronze vessel, and hidden in the wall of a water well that belonged to a house in the neighborhood dating back to the Abbasid and Fatimid periods (about 900 years ago).

Michael Charsanti, CEO of the Caesarea Development Company notes: "We were immediately prepared and the rare find is on display starting today for the duration of the Hanukkah holiday at Caesarea Port."

According to the managers of the excavation, Dr. Petar Gandelman and Muhammad Khater from the Antiquities Authority, "a coin found in the cache and dated to the end of the 11th century, makes it possible to link its hiding with one of the dramatic events in the history of Caesarea at that time - the Crusader conquest of the city in 1101. According to the evidence, in the event Most of the inhabitants of Caesarea were slaughtered by the army of Baldwin I, Queen of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. It must be assumed that the owner of the house who hid the treasure that was revealed, as well as the members of his family, perished in the massacre or were sold into slavery, and therefore were not allowed to return and collect their property."

This important find is added to two hoards from the same period that were found close to where the current hoard was discovered - one, of gold and silver jewelry, was found in the 60s of the last century, and the other of bronze vessels - in the 90s. Today these treasures are displayed in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

At the center of the multi-year excavation and preservation activity of the Caesarea project stands the impressive facade of the city's central public building from about 2030 years ago - the sacred complex built by Herod, as a tribute to his patron Augustus, Caesar of Rome, and in honor of the goddess Roma. The new treasure discovery in the well belongs to this complex, and it was

Part of a house of Fatimid and Abbasid neighborhoods which were built 1000 years later than Herod's time, on the western front of the temple platform he built. These neighborhoods also extended over parts of the inner anchorage of the port of Caesarea, which was dry at that stage.

According to Dr. Robert Cole, a coin expert at the Antiquities Authority, "the hoard consists of a unique combination that has not yet been seen in Israel, between two types of coins - 18 Fatimid dinars known from the excavations of Caesarea and other excavations and were the accepted money of that time, along with a small and extremely rare group of six gold coins of the emperors of Byzantium. Five of the coins were produced in a concave shape, and they belong to the time of Emperor Michael VII the Dukes. These are unknown gold coins that were part of the money circulation in Israel, and this may indicate trade relations between Caesarea and Constantinople at that time. It is interesting to know that the value of each such gold coin at that time was as much as the annual salary of a simple farmer, so it seems that the person who owned the treasure was a wealthy family."

Guy Seversky, vice chairman of the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation: Such a discovery underlines the importance of the foundation's decision to allocate an unprecedented amount of more than 150 million NIS for the restoration, preservation and accessibility of the Old City complex and the port, for the visit of hundreds of thousands of tourists from Israel and abroad. To. This is a project of considerable economic significance for the development of the region, another significant contribution of the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation to the development of tourism and employment in the area."

Michael Charsanti, CEO of the Caesarea Development Company states that: "The treasure was uncovered during the completion of the huge project we have been working on for over two years: the uncovering of the port's massive vaults from the days of Roman Caesarea's heyday. But it is symbolic that the gold coins were discovered on the eve of the Hanukkah holiday and they are, for us, definitely "Chanukah coins, which show how much the hidden is still greater than the visible in Caesarea. We invite the public to take advantage of the Hanukkah days and come with the children to be impressed by the fascinating discovery." Charsanti emphasized that at the same time as the treasure was revealed, near the temple vaults, development work also continues in the ancient synagogue complex where, just recently, part of the mosaic floor was restored.

According to the director of the Antiquities Authority, Israel Hasson, "The hair-raising stories of the occupation of Caesarea are unfolding before our eyes in the form of a hoard of coins and a gold earring. Such personal testimonies transport us back in time and connect us with people like us, who lived here, were afraid and dreamed of a better future. The excavation and conservation project in Caesarea is one of the largest and most complex that the Antiquities Authority has managed since its establishment. The archaeological excavations in recent years reveal many impressive remains, spanning hundreds of years of glorious history. The works, carried out in recent years hand in hand with the Caesarea Development Company and the Nature and Parks Authority, and thanks to the generous donation of the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, will return Caesarea to its days as a bustling port city that provides a rich cultural experience to all its visitors."

According to the Director General of the Nature and Parks Authority Shaul Goldstein: "Over the years since it was founded, Caesarea has been a particularly important and prominent city. Even today, the National Garden attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from Israel and the world every year who enjoy a powerful and fascinating visiting experience. We, along with all the bodies involved in the preservation and development of the Caesarea National Park for its treasures and architectural wealth, have the duty and also the right to lead projects to preserve the heritage of ancient Caesarea for the sake of the entire public and future generations."

The head of the Carmel Coast Regional Council, Asif Isaac, adds and notes: "The project to restore ancient Caesarea is an example and model of rare cooperation in our places between regional state bodies, who all joined together to exhaust the enormous resources that the Edmund de Rothschild Foundation made available for the benefit of the project."