TAU uncovers unprecedented trove of gold coins in 13th century castle
A team of researchers from Tel Aviv University
has uncovered a hoard of real-life buried treasure at the Crusader
castle of Arsur (also known as Apollonia), a stronghold located between
the ancient ports of Jaffa and Caesarea, in use from 1241 to its
destruction in 1265.
The hoard, comprised of 108 gold coins, mostly
dinars dated to the Fatimid Period (ca. 900 to 1100 AD), was discovered
in a pot by a university student. The coins bear the names of sultans
and blessings, and usually include a date and a mint name that indicates
where a coin was struck.
This fascinating find is the first of its kind, says Prof. Oren Tal, director of the excavation and Chairman of TAU's Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures.
"The scientific value is unprecedented. This is the first hoard of gold
coins that we have in Israel that we can date to the Crusader period."
Prof. Tal believes that the coins provide an
important clue to how large-scale economic transactions were made in the
Crusader period. "They were not afraid to use older coins in order to
complete large transactions and run large-scale businesses," he said,
indicating that this "pot of gold" may be one of a group hidden in the
castle, remnants of Arsur's role as a business center where industrial
and agricultural goods were traded.
Crusader economics
According to Prof. Tal, the discovery adds to the
debate over gold circulation during the time of the Crusades, a series
of military incursions into the region to establish Christianity. It
puts Fatimid-period coins, minted by Egyptian Sultans in the 10th and
11th centuries, in a Crusader context. Their use of gold from an earlier
period is somewhat surprising, given the importance placed on coin
minting.
Typically, societies mint their own coins, especially
for the completion of large transactions, because it impacts more than
just economics — it has marketing and public relations value. From a
social and political standpoint, the minting of coins shows that a
culture has the wealth and ability to make its own currency, feeding
into a sense of independence as a people, cultural self-definition, and a
collective identity, explains Prof. Tal.
Though historically priceless, the actual cash value
of the coins is difficult to pin down, says Prof. Tal. A document found
in the Cairo Genizah hints at the worth of the hoard, suggesting that
two gold dinars, the face value on the coins that were found, can
provide sufficiently for an extended family for one month.
Assuming the extended family includes a father,
mother, sons, daughters, and their spouses and children, this could
include 12 to 24 people. If 20 people can make their living for a month
on two gold coins, the horde that was discovered could sustain 50
families for 30 days, or five families for approximately one year, all
depending on the standard of living.
A time capsule
Arsur is a perfect time capsule due to its short
period of occupation, says Prof. Tal. The findings from the castle,
which in addition to the coins include items such as pottery, glass and
metal objects, arrowheads, and catapult stones, are a window into a
specific historical period. They help researchers to develop a working
knowledge of the material culture of the Crusaders, and provide clues to
interactions between the Islamic and Christian worlds.
The seigniory of Arsur was leased to the Military
Order of the Hospitallers in 1261. The Order originally arrived in the
Holy Land in the 12th century as a group of orderlies serving European
pilgrims. As evidenced by their use of the castle as a storage place for
their profits, Arsur was one of their most important strongholds. In
1265, the castle was attacked by the Egyptian Sultan Baybars, and after
withstanding a 40-day siege, the castle was eventually conquered. It has
remained uninhabited since then.
Source: American Friends of Tel Aviv University: Hoard of Crusader Gold Found in Ruins
