During the first day of a Kafr Kana archaeological excavation, members of the Upper Galilee Leadership Academy discovered an ancient gold coin and several silver coins.
“While shoveling soil into the pan I saw a shiny coin. When I realized what it was I cried out,” says Dor Yagev, a pupil at the academy.
The coin is dated to 776-77 C.E., the early Islamic period, It contains Arabic inscriptions portraying belief in one G-d and the name of the Muslim prophet.
“While shoveling soil into the pan I saw a shiny coin. When I realized what it was I cried out,” says Dor Yagev, a pupil at the academy.
The coin is dated to 776-77 C.E., the early Islamic period, It contains Arabic inscriptions portraying belief in one G-d and the name of the Muslim prophet.
The excavation was carried out by the Antiquities Authority with pupils from paramilitary academies, before the construction of a new car park at the entrance to the village.
Dr. Robert Cole, a coin expert at the Antiquities Authority said that “It is very unusual to find a gold coin during excavations and they are usually part of a treasure trove. One gold coin like this for an ordinary person was a huge amount of money. It was worth a hundred kilos of wheat and with just 4.5 dinar like these one could buy a house in the village.”