Home Actuality Rare coin depicting a roman goddess discovered in Israel

Rare coin depicting a roman goddess discovered in Israel

The coin was found in a “small treasure” along with other pieces during excavations in the city of Haifa.

An “extremely well preserved” 1,850-year-old bronze coin depicting the Roman moon goddess Luna has been discovered in the Israeli Sea, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has revealed.

The artifact, found during excavations in the northern coastal city of Haifa, has a portrait of the goddess Luna above the Cancer sign symbol on one side, and the head of Roman Emperor Anthony Pius on the other.

“This is the first time such a piece has been found off the coast of Israel,” Jacob Sharvit, director of the IAA’s marine archeology department, said in a statement.

The coin was in a “small treasure”, along with other pieces, Sharvit explained to Agence France-Presse (AFP), adding that the circumstances of the discovery indicate that there was a shipwreck nearby.

These pieces are “extremely well preserved” and some are “really very rare”.

“Its discovery completes parts of the historical puzzle of the country’s past,” he added.

The Roman goddess coin was minted during the rule of Antoninus Pius, 138-161 AD, in Alexandria, Egypt, according to the IAA.

The inscription “year eight”, corresponds to the eighth year of the emperor’s reign, which occurred during the ‘Pax Romana’, a period considered as a golden age and relative tranquility of the Roman Empire.

Unlike his predecessors, Antonino Pio was not a soldier and never participated in battles, the IAA stressed.

“He built magnificent temples, theaters, mausoleums and promoted science and philosophy,” he added.

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