Israeli divers stumble upon huge stash of medieval coins, likely from Mediterranean shipwreck
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A group of amateur Israeli divers have stumbled upon the largest collection of medieval gold coins ever found in the country, dating back to the 11th century and likely from a shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Israel Antiquities Authority said Wednesday that the find consists of 2,000 coins, weighing about 6 kilograms (13 pounds).
Kobi Sharvit, director of the authority's marine archaeology unit, says the coins were likely swept up in recent storms near the Israeli port city of Caesarea.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He says they probably came from a boat that sank on its way to deliver tax money to Egypt about 1,000 years ago, or that it came from a merchant ship trading among Mediterranean coastal cities.
He says it's a "fascinating and rare historical evidence" from the Fatimid era.