This is one of the largest treasures ever discovered on the coast of Israel.

On an overcast morning in February 2015, Mr. Zvika Fayer, a scuba diver and amateur diver, and his friends dived into the sea near the port town of Caesarea, Israel, and saw a glimmer of gold coins under the sea sand.

It is known that before the discovery of the treasure under the sea, a winter storm hit Caesarea, churning the ocean and changing the topography of the seabed. Therefore, during a scuba diving trip, Mr. Zvika Fayer and his colleagues discovered the sparkling light of gold coins. Initially, when they found the gold coins, the diving enthusiasts thought that these were just fake coins, so they only took a few coins to check, but then they were confirmed to be real gold. “I was surprised when I discovered these gold coins,” said Mr. Zvika Fayer.

There are a lot of underwater archaeological sites in Israel, and the government is also open to allowing amateur divers to learn about undersea ruins, one of which is Caesarea, and this is also a favorite diving site for Mr. Zvika Fayer. Mr. Zvika Fayer had scuba dived here dozens of times before and loved to see the big fish, antique goods, pottery… that he sometimes caught on the ocean floor.

Gold coins found in the sea collected more than 2,000 gold coins.

Normally, if a lucky explorer found a treasure, he would keep it as his own, but Zvika Fayer was different. He quickly returned to the boat, immediately contacted the Archaeological Agency for Israel (IAA), and asked them to quickly come here. After reviewing, the IAA decided to conduct further surveys in the area where the gold coins were found to find more information about the origin of this undersea treasure.

Fayer then worked with the IAA, diving under the sea for days and collecting more than 2,000 gold coins. These gold coins are all 24 karat with a purity of up to 95% and have been intact in the Mediterranean Sea for about 1,000 years. They bring great value to archaeologists as well as historians with information about a forgotten or poorly understood historical period.

Archaeologists in Israel consider this find “priceless” both physically and mentally. The gold coins are now owned by the state, becoming national property. The divers who found the treasure get credit, but other than that, they don’t enjoy any material value from the discovery of this treasure.

Robert Kool, an expert on antiquity with the Israel Archaeology Authority, confirmed that the ancient coins were found intact because they were preserved in excellent conditions on the seabed of Israel for thousands of years. They are believed to have been sunk by shipwrecks near Caesarea, an ancient Roman port in the Eastern Mediterranean. “They are completely clean and very new despite being on the seabed for more than a millennium,” Kool said.

Ruins from ancient Rome in poor condition in Caesarea.

Used to be a busy trading place.

Today, the area of Caesarea, located between the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa on the Mediterranean coast, is known for its ancient Roman ruins. This was once a busy port, a trading center in the ancient Roman period. Therefore, the discovery of these gold coins provides much information and evidence about Caesarea during the time of Muslim rule. “Before we found the coins, we did not know Caesarea at all. What a place, bleak or busy. So the coins have brought tremendous value in terms of history,” said Jacob (Koby) Sharvit, director of the IAA.

It is known that these coins were made during the reigns of Caliphs al-Hakim (996-1021 AD) and his son al-Zahir (1021-1036 AD) when Caesarea was part of the Fatimid dynasty of Islam. These coins were minted in cities as far away as Egypt’s Cairo and the Sicilian capital of Palermo, whereby it can be seen that the currency of that time circulated through a unified regime. By their merits, Caesarea can be seen as a prosperous, bustling city in the late 11th century.

Hypothetically, maybe these 2,000 gold coins were the salary of an old army soldier in a month; however, the treasure was lost because of a shipwreck accident. Or in other cases, they fell off the deck in a storm or were hijacked by pirates, leading to the ship sinking.

Since the discovery of the gold coins, Fayer and his colleagues have worked collaboratively with the IAA, expanding the search for other treasures around Caesarea and elsewhere along the Mediterranean coast. They also explored further areas, including the coastal city of Netanya, the route through which ancient Phoenician and Roman ships traveled extensively for trade and commerce. “For me, exploration is never limited. I love the sea, and I love the ancient culture on the bottom of the sea here,” said Mr. Fayer.

Rᴜιns from ancient Rome in ρoor condition in Cɑesarea

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