A woman hiking with friends in Israel’s Galilee region stumbled upon an extremely rare 2,000-year-old gold coin that offers a unique glimpse at the experience of soldiers serving in the Holy Land during the days of the Roman Empire.
The Israel Antiquities Authority said Monday that the coin — minted by Emperor Trajan in 107 A.D. in homage to Roman Empire founder Emperor Augustus whose image is on the front of the coin — was the second such coin ever found in the world.
Until now, the only known ancient gold coin of this kind was located in the British Museum.
Danny Syon, senior numismatist at the Israel Antiquities Authority, explained that the coin was one of a series minted by Trajan as a tribute to the emperors who ruled before him, calling it a “world class find” and a “fantastic discovery.”
“This coin, minted in Rome in 107 C.E., is rare on a global level,” Syon said in a statement Monday announcing the discovery. “On the reverse we have the symbols of the Roman legions next to the name of the ruler Trajan, and on the obverse — instead of an image of the Emperor Trajan, as was usually the case — there is the portrait of the emperor ‘Augustus Deified.’”
Laurie Rimon said she noticed a shiny object in the grass while hiking recently in the eastern Galilee. She said that at first she thought that she’d stumbled on a toy but then, when she showed it to her guide, realized it was an ancient gold coin.
After a phone call to the Israel Antiquities Authority, an archaeologist with the agency showed up two hours later to confirm it was a once-in-a-lifetime discovery.