Treasure Hunt at the Dead Sea: Coins Buried Beneath the Waves

The Year:<\/strong> Perhaps 3,000 years ago. The Location:<\/strong> Kidron Valley. Plausibility:<\/strong> Sacred coins.<\/p>

Just a 20-minute drive from Zikhron Moshe, you'll find the world's largest coin hoard. All it takes to discover it is wading through salty waters and exploring the seabed. Between Ein Feshkha and the mouth of Kidron Valley, just meters from the Dead Sea shore, approximately 300,000 coins valued at a mere coin are waiting. All made of brass, they were minted in the era of Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus.<\/p>

Who collected these coins, and why were they thrown into the Dead Sea? Donald Tzvi Ariel, head of the Coins Department at the Israel Antiquities Authority, suggests: "Nearby, trails descend from Jerusalem through the Kidron Valley channel. Perhaps they are sacred coins that became invalid for some reason and were thus destined to be discarded into the sea."<\/p>

Although these coins were worth just a small fraction in their time, savvy modern traders now sell them overseas for $10 or even $20 each, embodying the saying: "A penny saved is a penny earned." L'chaim to the ancient treasures still making waves today!<\/p>