An ancient Cypriot silver Siglos coin dating to the mid-5th century BCE was found at one of Ashdod’s beaches last month, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Sunday.
It is the first coin of its kind ever to be discovered in Israel.
The approximately 2,500-year-old coin was located by Ashdod Beaches Department Deputy Director Avi Chaprak during a search to locate objects lost by visitors to the beach.
Upon discovering the coin, Chaprak handed it over to the IAA’s Coin Department, which was able to confirm the rarity of the find.
“At first glance it looked to be made of silver, but a closer examination showed it to actually be of metal that was only plated with silver; a known phenomenon in Cypriot silver coins from this period, given the shortage of silver on the island,” Yanniv David Levy, researcher and curator at the IAA’s Coin Department, explained.
Minted during Persian Empire's reign
Researchers were able to pinpoint the origin of the coin to the ancient city of Salamis, located on the east coast of Cyprus. According to Greek mythology, the city was founded by the archer Teucer, the half-brother of Ajax, and a veteran of the Trojan War.
The coin, weighing about 11 grams, was minted during the Persian Empire’s reign in Cyprus.
One face of the coin depicts a left-facing recumbent ram, while its other side features a left-facing ram’s head set within a sunken square frame.
Beside the head is a laurel branch, placed vertically, with three symbols below it, written in what is believed to be Cypriot syllabic script.
“Coins of this size and value from the Persian period are rare altogether in the archaeological record,” Levy added. “Usually, silver coins of this size were not preserved intact. Over time, they were cut into small pieces for use as local trade currency.”
“Furthermore, evidence of such use is known mainly from inland sites in Israel. Therefore, the discovery of a complete coin from the coastal area is thus unusual on all accounts, and of special historical importance.”
Coin offers evidence of ancient Cypriot-Israeli trade
Coins from Salamis from the 5th century BCE were circulated throughout the eastern Mediterranean, Evangeline Markou, a senior researcher at the Institute of Historical Research, National Hellenic Research Foundation, and an expert in ancient Cypriot coinage, noted.
Writing from Athens, she said that even so, “finds with an exact provenance are rarer, and therefore this coin potentially offers significant information about trade ties and movement between Cyprus and the Land of Israel during this period.”
Levy, representing the Israeli archaeological perspective, agreed with Markou.
“The circumstances of the discovery and the accurate reporting allow us researchers not only to identify the coin itself but also to use it as a reliable source of information about economic and maritime ties that existed in this region some 2,500 years ago,” he said.
Chaprak was awarded a certificate of appreciation for reporting the coin and handing it over to the IAA’s Coin Department.
“I am happy that I was privileged to be part of a discovery of historical value,” Chaprak said. “For me, it was clear that the coin belonged to our collective heritage, so I immediately delivered it to the Israel Antiquities Authority. If, through this act, I contributed another small piece towards the research and history of the Land of Israel, then that is a great honor for me.”
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu added that the coin’s discovery on the Ashdod coast was “tangible evidence of the maritime and commercial ties that existed between the Land of Israel and Cyprus some 2,500 years ago.”
“I commend Avi Chaprak,” he said, “who acted responsibly and transferred the coin to the Israel Antiquities Authority.”
“The public’s cooperation in reporting on antiquities makes it possible to preserve the heritage assets that belong to all of us, to deepen knowledge about the country’s past, and to ensure that the finds will be preserved and studied for the benefit of future generations,” he added.