A huge stash of 2,000 Gold coins was discovered by Israeli scuba divers

Near the Israeli town of Caesara, scuba divers accidentally found a huge hoard of gold coins. The coins are around 1,000-1,200 years old! The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) will conserve and safeguard the coins.

Kobi Sharvit, director of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, thought that this was probably a shipwreck of an official treasury boat on the seabed.

“The boat was on its way to the central government in Egypt with taxes that had been collected. Perhaps the treasure of coins was meant to pay the salaries of the Fatimid military garrison which was stationed in Caesarea and protected the city,” Sharvit said.

Israeli law states that any antiquity, that is dated before 1700, that is found in Israel, becomes property of the state. Therefore scuba divers  Yoav Lavi, Zvika Fayer, Kobi Twina, Avivit Fishler, Joel Miller, and Shai Milner--their only reward is just the discovery of the find and not ownership of the coins!

So much for "finders keepers!"