At the end of July 2025 a metal detector beeped wildly in Susita National Park, near the Sea of Galilee. Operator Eddie Lipsman, working with the University of Haifa expedition, moved the soil near a large stone and saw gold coins flash in the cut. "The detector went crazy; I couldn't believe it—gold coins began to be exposed one after another," said Lipsman. The team soon uncovered a hoard.
Researchers collected 97 gold coins and fragments of earrings set with pearls, semi-precious stones, and glass. The coins spanned the reigns of Justin I (518-527 CE) to the opening years of Heraclius (610-613 CE), placing them roughly 1,400 to 1,500 years old. Solidus pieces, halves (semissis), and thirds (trachy) were present, and the dig marked the first time such a hoard had been recovered in the city.
"We kept quiet until tests ended and the area was checked for more finds. Gold is a noble metal, and when you find coins and jewelry about 1,400 years old that look new—it is a rare experience," said Dr. Michael Eisenberg, co-director of the excavation. The items were in remarkably good condition.
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Dr. Danny Shayon, the expedition’s numismatist, pointed to a trachy probably struck in Cyprus in 610 CE during the rebellion of Heraclius the Elder and his son against Phocas. "This is a rare find that adds an important layer to understanding the political and economic history of the period," said Shayon. Only one other coin of this type had been recorded in Israel.
"The earrings are the big surprise for me. Delicate craftsmanship combining semi-precious stones and pearls—I hope jewelers of our time will recreate this beauty," said Dr. Kovalewska, Eisenberg’s co-director.
Eisenberg situated the cache within wider events. "On some of the coins we saw remnants of fabric, probably the cloth pouch in which the treasure was buried. We think it was hidden during the Sasanian-Persian advance in the early seventh century," he said.
Susita, perched above the Sea of Galilee, served as a Christian center in the Byzantine period, complete with a bishopric and at least seven churches. Recent layers showed burning, including in the church of the martyr Theodore, evidence linked to the Sasanian conquest. Researchers suggested that some local Jews sided with the invaders against Byzantine rule.
"Susita National Park is a mountain of surprises with a thousand years of history. The excavation has shed new light on pagan and Christian worlds," said Dr. Dror Ben-Yosef of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. He noted that a visitor need only look west toward the Jewish city of Tiberias to sense the region's religious diversity 1,400 years ago.