Overview
- The coin was spotted and handed to authorities about a month ago by Avi Chaprak, deputy director of Ashdod’s Beaches Department, who reported the find to the Israel Antiquities Authority in line with Israeli law.
- IAA specialists identified the object as an approximately 11‑gram, silver‑plated siglos minted in Salamis on Cyprus’ east coast around the mid‑5th century BCE and documented its imagery and Cypriot syllabic symbols.
- The authority called the discovery exceptionally rare and the first documented find of this Salamis silver‑plated type in Israel, noting intact examples are scarce because they were often cut for local trade.
- Experts in Israel and Greece said the coin’s secure findspot and clear provenance make it a valuable data point for studying trade and maritime connections across the eastern Mediterranean during the Persian period.
- The finder received a certificate of appreciation from the IAA, and officials highlighted the case as an example of how public reporting preserves shared heritage and enables scientific study.