Rare 2,500-Year-Old Cypriot Coin Identified After Ashdod Beach Find

Israeli experts identified a rare 2,500-year-old silver-plated coin from ancient Salamis after an Ashdod municipal employee found it on the beach while searching for lost items. The roughly 11-gram siglos, minted in Cyprus under Persian rule in the mid-fifth century BCE, is the first example of its kind documented in Israel. Israel Antiquities Authority specialists said the complete coastal find is unusually rare and may illuminate trade and movement between Cyprus and the Land of Israel. Finder Avi Chaprak transferred it to the state collection and received a certificate of appreciation.