Hundreds of ancient coins were seized at the home of an ancient robber in the Galilee

More than 200 ancient coins of various eras, including those of 2,500 years old, were found in an ancient robber in Kfar Kana, who had already been twice seized and convicted. In despairing antiquities: What will be the slightest punishment ?!

Hundreds of ancient coins were seized at the home of an ancient robber in the Galilee

232 antique coins stolen from various antiquities sites in the north of the country were seized last week in the home of a Kfar Kana resident in an operation by the Inspectors of the Antique Robbery Prevention Unit and Kafr Kana Station police. The suspect was arrested and questioned at the police station and in the next few days the case will be handed over for indictment.

It turns out that this is a "repeat offender", who has already been caught "on hot" twice before digging in the ground and searching for antiques without a permit using metal detectors. In both cases, he was tried and convicted in court. Among the coins found in the suspect, IAA investigators identified coins dating from the Persian period in the fifth century BC, to the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, to the Ottoman period - from approximately 500 years ago. The coins were regarded as legal exhibits.

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Some of the coins seized by the robber in Kana (Photo: Yaron Bibbs, Israel Antiquities Authority)

Antique coins seized in Kfar Kana (Photo: Yaron Bibs, Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel Antiquities Authority)

The robber was caught "on hot" in the past while digging in the ground and searching for antiques without a permit (Photo: Yaron Bibbs, Israel Antiquities Authority)

Antique coins seized in Kfar Kana (Photo: Yaron Bibs, Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel Antiquities Authority)

"In the name of making money there are those who destroy and damage antiquities"

According to Nir Distelfeld, Inspector of the Antiquities Authority's Robbery Prevention Unit: "It is important for the public to know that any excavation at an antiquities site or discovery of antiques, even in private grounds, requires immediate reporting to the Antiquities Authority. Their place in the name of money is those who destroy and damage the antiquities, and prevent the public from enjoying the legacy. That belongs to all of us. "

According to Dr. Eitan Klein, Deputy Director of the Anti-Robbery Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority: "Ancient coins are items of particular scientific importance, as they can date archaeologically well and accurately. Unfortunately, we are witnessing a growing phenomenon of civilians acquiring metal detectors, searching for ancient coins on antiquity sites without permits, uprooting the coin from the archaeological context in which it was placed in antiquity, and thereby severely damaging its scientific value. A coin stolen from an antiquities site is an important piece of information that will be missing in the present day when archaeologists want to carry out an archaeological excavation, and in fact it is a missing part of the historical puzzle of Israel. "

The Israel Antiquities Authority said: "Antiquities robbery unit inspectors are doing days to prevent the legally prohibited phenomenon of searching for antiques without the help of metal detectors. We urge the courts to punish harshly to deter criminals who crush their historic treasures The damage to Israel's antiquities sites - a legacy belonging to the public in Israel and around the world - can be prevented.

The ancient coins found were from different historical periods (Photo: Yaron Bibbs, Israel Antiquities Authority)

Antique coins seized in Kana (Photo: Yaron Bibs, Israel Antiquities Authority, Israel Antiquities Authority)