Full Breakdown
Rare 5th-Century Cypriot Coin Unearthed on Ashdod Beach
7/27/2026, 11:03:44 AM
Discovery of the Coin
Deputy director of the Ashdod Beaches Department, Avi Chaprak, found an ancient metal object while conducting a routine search on an Ashdod shoreline. Acting under Israel’s antiquities law, he turned the object over to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). Examination by the IAA’s Coin Department identified the piece as a siglos minted in Salamis on Cyprus’s east coast during the mid-5th century BCE, when the island was under Persian control. The coin bears a left-facing recumbent ram on one side and a ram’s head within a square frame, a vertical laurel branch, and three symbols in the Cypriot syllabic script on the reverse.
Historical Context and Rarity
Coins of this size and denomination from the Persian period are scarce in the archaeological record. Most such silver coins have been found fragmented, having been cut for local trade. The find adds a tangible data point for the circulation of Salamis coinage throughout the eastern Mediterranean, a network linked to maritime commerce between Cyprus and the Land of Israel.
Data & Statistics
- Age: Approximately 2,500 years (mid-5th century BCE).
- Weight: About 11 g (0.39 oz).
- Denomination: Siglos, a standard silver-value coin of the period.
- First of its kind: The IAA reports this is the first complete Salamis siglos recorded in Israel.
Official Statements & Responses
- Yanniv David Levy (researcher and curator, IAA Coin Department) noted the coin’s plating technique—metal core with a thin silver layer—reflects a response to silver shortages on Cyprus during the era.
- Evangeline Markou, senior researcher at the Institute of Historical Research, National Hellenic Research Foundation, said finds with a precise provenance are rare, making this specimen valuable for reconstructing ancient trade routes.
- Avi Chaprak received a certificate of appreciation from the IAA on July 26, 2026 for his handling of the artifact.
Verbatim Quotes
- “At first glance it looked to be made of silver, but a closer examination showed it to actually be of metal that was only plated with silver; a known phenomenon in Cypriot silver coins from this period, given the shortage of silver on the island,” — Yanniv David Levy, IAA Coin Department
- “The rare coin discovered on the Ashdod coast is tangible evidence of the maritime and commercial ties that existed between the Land of Israel and Cyprus some 2,500 years ago,” — Amichai Eliyahu, heritage minister
Timeline
- July 26, 2026 – Chaprak is presented with a certificate of appreciation by the IAA for reporting the coin.
