Just a month after divers discovered huge hoard of gold coins off an Israeli coast, cave explorers found a 2,300-year-old treasure from Alexander the Great's era. Archaeologists believed the uncovered trove of coins and jewelries was hidden by local residents when ancient war broke out after Alexander's death.
The 2,300-year-old treasure was found by Israeli Caving Club members Reuven Zakai, his son Chen Zakai and their friend Lior Zhalony. According to FOX News, the group was preparing for a caving expedition to the cave located in northern Israel. While they were investigating the area for several hours, 21-year-old Chen Zakai crawled through one of the cave's narrowest passageways when he found two silver coins.
Along with the 2,300-year-old coins, were rings, bracelets and earrings. ABC News revealed all of the discovered treasures were placed inside a cloth pouch. Experts said the coins were likely minted during Alexander the Great's reign, and the artifacts first date to the Chalcolithic period about 6,000 years ago, the Early Bronze Age roughly 5,000 years ago, the Biblical period 3,000 years ago and the Hellenistic period approximately 2,300 years ago.
Alexander the Great was the ruler the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who led a military campaign throughout the Middle East and parts of Asia. He died in 323 B.C. in Babylonia, which is now called Iraq.
Cavers discovered the 2,300-year-old horde of treasure in a narrow crevice of a stalactite cave in the Galilee region. Based on a statement released by the Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA), two silver coins were identified to be minted during Alexander's reign. Yahoo! News UK reported the rare collection was brought to Jerusalem where it was put on display.
"The valuables might have been hidden in the cave by local residents who fled there during the period of governmental unrest stemming from the death of Alexander," the IAA said in a statement, NBC News quoted. "Presumably the cache was hidden in the hope of better days."
Because of concerns about protecting the archaeological finds, IAA officials did not reveal the exact location of the cave, where the 2,300-year-old treasure were found. It is also to keep people away from the dangerous and difficult-to-navigate cave. As per Live Science, after the cave explorers reported the discovery, IAA officials descended into the cave for further investigation this past weekend.
The 2,300-year-old treasure was the first of its kind to be found from the period of the conqueror, IAA's Eitan Klein stated. The Daily Mail cited the discovery is the second that an archaeological treasure was found in Israel after the finding of almost 2,000 gold coins off the coast of the ancient harbor city of Caesarea in February.
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