A detail of Fatimid period gold coins that were found in the seabed in the Mediterranean Sea near the port of Caesarea National Park in Caesarea, Israel, Wednesday. A group of amateur Israeli divers have stumbled upon the largest collection of medieval gold coins ever found in the country, dating back to the 11th century. The Israel Antiquities Authority said that the find consists of 2,000 coins, weighing about 6 kg. Kobi Sharvit, director of the authority's marine archeology unit, says the coins were likely swept up in recent storms near the Israeli port city of Caesarea. He says they probably came from a boat that sank on its way to deliver tax money to Egypt about 1,000 years ago, or that it came from a merchant ship trading among Mediterranean coastal cities.He says it's a “fascinating and rare historical evidence” from the Fatimid era. — AP
