A team of amateur speleologists has found a small cache of rare coins, silver and bronze artifacts in a remote stalactite cave in northern Israel.
The hoard included two silver coins, rings, bracelets, earrings, and a small stone weight. Image credit: Clara Amit / Israel Antiquities Authority.
The hoard contained two silver coins, minted during the reign of Alexander the Great (4th century BC), and several pieces of silver and bronze jewelry, including rings, bracelets and earrings.
It was unearthed by three members of the Israeli Caving Club – Reuven Zakai, his son Chen Zakai, and their friend Lior Halony – in one of the largest and well-hidden stalactite caves in the north of Israel.
When the speleologists realized they made an important archaeological discovery, they reported the find to professional archaeologists at the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).
“They understood the importance of the archaeological discovery and exhibited exemplary civic behavior by immediately bringing these impressive archaeological finds to the attention of the IAA,” said Dr Amir Ganor, director of the IAA’s Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities Robbery.
Silver coin of Alexander the Great. Image credit: Shmuel Magal / Israel Antiquities Authority.
“The valuables might have been hidden in the cave by local residents who fled there during the period of governmental unrest stemming from the death of Alexander, a time when the Wars of the Diadochi broke out in Israel between Alexander’s heirs following his death. Presumably the cache was hidden in the hope of better days, but today we know that whoever buried the treasure never returned to collect it,” IAA archaeologists explained.
Numerous pottery vessels and artifacts (between 6,000-2,300 years old) were also found in the cave.
“In some regions of the cave ancient pottery vessels were found on which stalagmites had developed. Some of the pottery vessels had bonded with the limestone sediments and cannot be separated,” IAA archaeologists said.
“The combination of a stalactite cave and archaeological finds is both fascinating and rare,” they said.
“The IAA wants the location of the cave to remain secret because of the many hazards inside it. Apart from the concern that the archaeological strata and stalactites might be damaged, there is a real danger to visitors to the cave because there are hidden and extremely deep underground cavities in it through which one might fall.”
