Cave Yields Rich Secrets

May 12, 2015

An official of the IAA and members of the Israeli Caving Club searching for more finds in the cave The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) revealed that a group of friends from an Israeli Caving Club had discovered, in a stalactite cave in the north of Israel, a cache of rare coins and silver and bronze objects that have been identified as being some 2,300 years old. Archaeologists from the IAA believe that this latest find is one of the important discoveries to come to light in the north of the country in recent years.

[Three] members of the Israeli Caving Club set out to make preliminary preparations for a visit by the club in one of the largest and well-hidden stalactite caves in the north. They wandered and crawled between the different parts of the cave for several hours. The youngest of the group, Hen, 21 years old, says he forced his way into one of the narrow niches when he suddenly caught sight of a shining object. There he discovered two ancient silver coins which it later turned out had been minted during the reign of Alexander the Great (late fourth century BC).

Agate stones and a ceramic oil lamp from the Hellenistic period Several pieces of silver jewelry were found alongside the coins, among them rings, bracelets and earrings, which were apparently concealed in the cave, together inside a cloth pouch some 2,300 years ago. The spelunkers reported their find to inspectors of the IAA Unit for the Prevention of Antiquities Robbery.

IAA inspectors were excited to discover evidence of human habitation that occurred in the cave over extended periods. At this point they believe they have found artifacts in the cave that first date to the Chalcolithic period c. 6,000 years ago, from the Early Bronze Age c. 5,000 years ago, the biblical period 3,000 years ago and the Hellenistic period approximately 2,300 years ago.

Inside the stalagmite cave in northern Israel In some regions of the cave ancient pottery vessels were found on which stalagmites had developed. The IAA reports that the combination of a stalactite cave and archaeological finds is both fascinating and rare. The finds in the cave will allow the researchers—archaeologists and geologists alike—to accurately date both the archaeological finds and the process of stalactite development.