IDF Soldier Finds Rare 1,800-Year-Old Coin While on Maneuver
Almost anywhere you walk in Israel, the present meets the ancient past
February 9, 2021 | TPS
Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
IDF soldier Ido Gardi was on a training exercise on the slopes of Mount Carmel in northern Israel when he noticed something different on the ground. It was an ancient and rare coin, bearing the head of the Roman emperor Antonius Pius and dating from 158–159 AD.
Very few coins of this kind have been found in Israel.
Dr. Donald Tzvi Ariel, head of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s (IAA) Numismatics Department, noted that “this coin joins only 11 such coins from known locations in the National Treasures Department collection. All the coins were found in northern Israel, from Megiddo and Zippori to Tiberias and Arbel.”
Israeli soldier discovers rare 1,800-year-old coin
Israeli soldier discovers rare 1,800-year-old coin
The well-preserved coin, bearing the head of the Roman Emperor Antonius Pius, dates from 158–159 C.E. and was minted in the city of Geva, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The rare coin, bearing the head of the Roman Emperor Antonius Pius and dating from 158–159 C.E., which was found during a training exercise by an Israel Defense Forces soldier. Feb. 9, 2021. Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority.
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(February 9, 2021 / JNS) A rare coin bearing the head of the Roman Emperor Antonius Pius and dating from 158–159 C.E. was found during a training exercise by an Israel Defense Forces soldier on the southern end of Mount Carmel, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) reported on Tuesday.