1,600-year-old Roman treasure trove found off Israeli coast
Ancient items include bronze candles decorated with a likeness of Roman Sun god Sol and a statue of Moon goddess Luna
A priceless treasure trove of Roman artefacts have been discovered at the bottom of the sea off the Caesarean coast.
The ancient items are estimated to be from 1,600 years ago, and made their way to the bottom of the sea when a merchant ship sunk during the Roman period.
Two divers, Ran Feinstein and Ofer Ra’anan from Ra’anana, discovered the items by chance while diving.
They informed the Israel Antiquities Authority, who found the remains of the ship buried beneath the sea floor, where items kept in the ship’s hold were well-preserved.
The IAA has called the discovery the biggest treasure haul uncovered in at least 30 years.
It includes well preserved bronze candles decorated with a likeness of the Roman Sun god Sol, a statue of the Moon goddess Luna, a candle in the form of an African slave’s head and pieces of a vessel for carrying water.
According to the archaeologists, “the location of the artefacts and their distribution on the sea floor suggest a big merchant ship which carried metal for reuse and likely got caught in a storm near the entry to the port and crashed against the breakwater and the rocks.”
The condition of the metal anchors found at the site of the discovery suggests that there was an attempt to deploy them in order to stop the ship from being dragged by the storm and hurled into the rocks, however the force of the waves broke the anchors.
The sand which covered the bronze statues preserved them “as if they were created yesterday,” the archaeologists said.
The coins discovered in the find bear the likeness of the Roman Emperor Constantine, who ruled over the Western Roman Empire (312-324 CE) and would later become Constantine the Great, the ruler of the Roman Empire (324-337 CE).
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
