Israel unveils Roman-era coin

July 28, 2022

Archaeologists from Israel recently unveiled a rare and “remarkably well preserved” coin belonging to Roman-era. The coin dates back to around 1,900 years. It was discovered by archaeologists of Israel Antiquities Authority while exploring Haifa in northern Israel. Coin is the first such discovery in Israeli waters.

Features of the coin include:

The coin portrays the moon goddess Luna.
It is minted in Alexandria (present-day Egypt).
Zodiac sign Cancer has been featured below Luna.
On the other side of the coin, Roman emperor from that era- Antoninus Pius, has been featured.
Coin is dated “year eight”, which refers to 8^th year of rule of Antoninus Pius. He ruled from 138 to 161. This part of the era is called as Pax Romana. During this part, there happened to be relative peace across the Roman Empire.
Luna is part of a series of 13. Specimens of this series have also been discovered elsewhere in the world.
It depicts 12 signs of zodiac and another the complete zodiac wheel.

These coins were lost at the sea. They got disappeared from sight for thousands of years. However, they have been well preserved. Some of the coins are rare. Their discovery is significant because it solves the parts of historical puzzle of Israel’s past.

The Roman Empire:

Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. It comprised of large territories across Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Western Asia and North Africa.

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