Gold coins from time of Crusades found in Israeli ruins
Israeli archaeologists have found buried treasure: more than 100 gold dinar coins from the time of the Crusades, bearing the names and legends of local sultans, blessings and more — and worth as much as $500,000.
The joint team from Tel Aviv University and Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority were working at Apollonia National Park, an ancient Roman settlement on the coast used by the Crusaders between 1241 and 1265, when they literally found a pot of gold.
They seem fairly certain they were deliberately buried as a cache prior to an siege of some sort, and they describe an interesting method of safekeeping it even if it were accidentally found. I used to take these ideas — hoards buried in times of danger — as kind of a “ritual significance” type of standby explanation, but I’m starting to think that’s the reason for most of them.
Among other things, it means the guy who buried it never came back. Same goes for every hoard. It’s obvious, but I suppose somebody could write a story about it. Generations searching for the lost family treasure as the Saxons–pick your villain–are coming on.
But if there’s a flick, the guys who did Eagles (Sutcliff’s books) shouldn’t be involved.
Comment by Richard Aubrey — July 18, 2012 @ 5:27 am