A simple walk through the countryside led to the discovery of a lifetime for one Israeli woman, who found a 2,000-year-old gold Roman coin bearing the image of Emperor Augustus during a hike in Galilee, the Israeli Antiquities Authority announced in a statement.
According to Discovery.com and New York Daily News reports, the coin is just the second of its kind known to exist, and was minted by Roman Emperor Trajan in 107 AD as part of a series of nostalgic coins paying tribute to the rules that preceded him. It was discovered by Laurie Rimon, who spotted it shining in the grass while hiking through eastern Galilee recently.
Rimon and her tour guide, Irit Zuk-Kovacsi contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority, and two hours later they were met by a representative who collected the artifact – which Rimon admitted was difficult to part with. “After all,” she told the IAA, “it is not every day one discovers such an amazing object, but I hope I will see it displayed in a museum in the near future.”
Dr. Danny Syon, a senior numismatist at the agency, said that the coin “is rare on a global level” and Dr. Donald T. Ariel, head curator of the IAA’s coin department, added that the artifact “may reflect the presence of the Roman army in the region some 2,000 years ago” but added that it is “difficult to determine that on the basis of a single coin.”
Only the third gold coin from Trajan’s reign ever discovered
What makes the gold coin, which ABC News said is now in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, so special is that most coins from Emperor Trajan’s era tend to be made from silver or bronze. Only two other gold coins from this emperor have been registered in the State Treasures to date, noted Discovery.com, and the details on each of them are different from this newfound coin.
Dr. Ariel believes that the artifact could be linked to Roman military presence in the area linked to efforts to subdue supporters of the Bar Kochba Revolt from 132 to 136 AD. Roman soldiers of this era were reportedly paid three gold coins (the equivalent of 75 silver coins) each payday, and due to the high value of these gold coins, local merchants could not provide change for them and thus would not accept them in exchange for goods.
Rimon told the New York Daily News that she initially thought the object might be a toy, while her hiking companions knew that she had discovered something special, telling her that she may have just become a millionaire. However, she decided to surrender the coin to the IAA, who will present her with a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship in the near future.
“Laurie demonstrated exemplary civic behavior by handing this important coin over to the Antiquities Authority,” Nir Distelfeld, an inspector with the IAA Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities Robbery, said, noting that it is a hard thing to part with such an object, “especially when it comes to a spectacular gold coin.” Distelfeld called it a “remarkable and surprising discovery” and that “thanks to Laurie, the public will be able to enjoy this rare find.”
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Image credit: The Israel Antiques Authority
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