On the north coast of Herzliya at Tel Arshaf, during the course of a three-year dig a large cache of golden coins of the Crusader period has been uncovered. The dig, headed by Prof. Oren Tal of Tel Aviv University, unearthed a sand-filled pottery vessel under the floor tiles of the castle containing some 108 gold coins minted around 1,000 CE in Egypt. It looked like a deliberate act of concealment, probably made by the defenders during a prolonged siege by Muslim troops. The excavation has also uncovered arrowheads and catapult stones, evidence of the Arab siege. The Crusaders, who called their castle “Apollonia”, held the stronghold in the 13th century, when it was eventually conquered and razed to the ground by the Mamluks—who failed to check under the floor tiles!
Our Sponsors
