Two young archaeology volunteers on Monday found a trove of ancient golden coins while working on a dig in Israel, scientists confirmed.
According to Liat Nadav-Ziv and Elie Haddad, scientists at the Israel Antiquities Authority, IAA, the two volunteers found 425 gold coins buried 1,100 years ago.
The coins were reportedly in excellent condition, as if they were buried recently.
Robert Kool, a coin expert at the IAA, said the coins were made of pure gold and weighed 845 grammes in total.
According to local media, the two teens, who were volunteering before the start of their military service, found the coins near the city of Yavne, after discovering something that looked like thin leaves in the ground.
According to one of the volunteers, Oz Cohen, “When I looked closer, I realised they were gold coins. It was really exciting to find such an old and special treasure,” Cohen said.
Most of the coins date back to the late 9th century, a time in which the Abbaside Caliphate covered the territory from Persia to North Africa, with Badghdad at its centre.
dpa/NAN
