IAA Announces Recovery of Hundreds of Looted Coins
The hoard spans 2,000 years of history.
Photo: Yaron Bibas/IAA
People have been increasingly using metal detectors to find coins from archaeological sites. This is done by trespassing, and also includes destruction of unexcavated sites. One big problem this causes, as Dr. Eitan Klein explained, is that coins are one of the clues helping archaeologists date sites and the other artifacts that are found nearby. Dr. Klein is the deputy director of the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit.
Photo: Yaron Bibas/IAA
IAA announced an arrest in Kfar Kana. The hoard they have recovered consists of two hundred thirty-two coins. The coins date to the Byzantine, Roman, Ottoman, Hellenistic, and Persian periods, the 5th century B.C.E. to the 16th century C.E. They are now being studied by the IAA. Read more about this arrest and recovery here.
Related reading in Bible History Daily:
Ancient Coins and Looting If archaeologists are the detectives of history, then ancient coins are the “smoking guns” of the ancient crime scene. Looting removes this evidence.
The Antiquities Market—A “Cat and Mouse Game” How the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit stays one step ahead of the black market.
Archaeological Looting and the Destruction of Cultural Heritage In the Middle East, archaeological looting and the deliberate destruction of archaeological sites and monuments are rampant. What, if anything, can be done?
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if I found a treasure like that I just might scoop it up before someone eltce does. to arrest a man for that is an injustice.they should of understood and given him his just reward for finding it.
Dear Nick Masterson, As a metal detector relic hunter myself, you don’t trespass on others property without permission first and especially taking advantage of archaeology sites that depend on these relics for much needed information into our past history. There should be jail time and heavy fines placed on such people that do this.
if I found a bunch of coins like that I wouldn’t leave them there.sombody eltce might just scoop them up before I can contact the authoritys.arresting one for that in my opinion is unreasonable and an injustice.