Laurie Rimon pictured with the gold coin near where it was found in Galillee. Picture: Israel Antiquities Authority.
GO for a walk. Find an incredibly rare, ancient gold coin. What reward would you expect to get for your efforts?
In the case of an Israeli woman hiking in Galilee, it was a shake of the hand — and a certificate of appreciation.
The 2000-year-old gold coin is only the second example of its type ever found.
This face of the gold coin bears the image and name of Emperor Augustus.Source:Supplied
It is stamped with the image of the Roman Emperor Augustus, and dates from 107AD.
It was found by Laurie Rimon, from Kibbutz Kfar Blum in northern Israel.
She was with a group of hikers passing through an archaeological site when she noticed a yellow glint among the grass.
She paused, bent over — and scraped the object out from the earth.
Instead of pocketing what was obviously an extremely valuable gold coin, she notified her guide who contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Within two hours, the authorities arrived and whisked the coin away.
“It was not easy parting with the coin,” Ms Rimon said. “After all, it is not every day one discovers such an amazing object, but I hope I will see it displayed in a museum in the near future.”
The second face of the coin bearing images of the standards of Roman legions and the name of Emperor Trajan.Source:Supplied
The coin was printed in the era of Emperor Trajan. He had commemorative coins made with the faces of his famous predecessors to capitalise upon a sense of nostalga for the ‘good old days’ of Rome.
The Israel Antiquities Authority praised Ms Rimon for her “exemplary civic behaviour by handing this important coin over to the Antiquities Authority.”
