Rare 2,500-Year-Old Cypriot Coin Discovered on Ashdod Beach

A rare ancient coin dating back approximately 2,500 years, originating from Cyprus, was recently found on a beach in Ashdod, Israel. Avi Tzafrak, deputy director of the Ashdod Beaches Department, regularly assists visitors in locating lost items and discovered the coin during a search about a month ago. He promptly handed the coin over to the Israel Antiquities Authority for examination.

Experts identified the coin as a silver coin from Salamis, Cyprus, minted around the mid-5th century BCE during the Persian period. Weighing about 11 grams and classified as a 'Siglos,' the coin is notable for being coated with silver rather than made entirely of it, a known practice due to silver shortages on the island at the time. One side depicts a walking ram facing left, while the other shows a ram's head surrounded by a square frame and a vertical laurel branch with three Cypriot syllabic script marks below.

Yaniv David Levi, a coin expert at the Israel Antiquities Authority, emphasized the rarity of such intact coins from this era, especially along the coast, as most were cut into smaller pieces for local trade. Evangelia Markou, a Cypriot coin specialist from the National Research Foundation of Greece, noted that coins from Salamis are found throughout the eastern Mediterranean and that this find provides valuable insight into ancient trade and maritime connections between Cyprus and the Land of Israel during the Persian period.

Avi Tzafrak received a certificate of appreciation from the Israel Antiquities Authority for his responsible reporting and contribution to preserving national heritage. Minister of Heritage Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu praised the discovery as tangible evidence of ancient maritime and commercial ties and highlighted the importance of public cooperation in reporting antiquities to protect and study Israel's historical assets for future generations.