Fatimid Treasure Discovered at Crusader-Era Apollonia-Arsuf

Bible and archaeology news

Noah Wiener July 16, 2012 5 Comments 1560 views Share

Archaeologists seek out the treasures of the past, but rarely do they come across literal pots of gold. Tel Aviv University and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority excavations at Arsuf uncovered a spectacular cache of over 100 gold dinals deliberately buried by the Knights Hospitaller in the 13th century C.E. A fortune in the thirteenth century, the Fatimid coins are worth up to $500,000 today.

Called Apollonia in Greco-Roman times, the seventh century C.E. Muslim conquest restored the site’s original Semitic name, Arsuf. The crusaders occupied the site they called Arsur at the start of the 12th century C.E., and were driven out by the Mamluk army in 1265. The coins were discovered in a pot in a Roman fortress, buried by the Crusaders and filled with sand to disguise the contents from the invading Mamluks. The coins predate the Crusader occupation by several centuries, and were originally minted by the Fatimid Empire in northern Africa.

What Were the Crusades and How Did They Impact Jerusalem? Read the full article “When Crusader Kings Ruled Jerusalem” by Jack Meinhardt online in Bible History Daily as it originally appeared in Archaeology Odyssey.

The Crusaders built extensively at Arsur, and the subsequent abandonment of the site after the Mamluk invasion leaves a relatively clear picture of the Crusader city and its destruction. The coins would haev already been viewed as foreign, antiquated treasure by the 13th century, and, along with the large-scale architectural projects undertaken at Arsur, attest to the wealth and power of the Crusader occupation.







Related reading in Bible History Daily:

Ancient Coins and Looting

Hoard of Gold Coins Found in Caesarea Harbor

Tarshish: Hacksilber Hoards Pinpoint Solomon’s Silver Source

Coins Celebrating the Great Revolt Against the Romans Unearthed near Jerusalem

Treasures in Clay Jars