Nearly 2,000 gold coins dating to the 11th century were recovered in an Israel Antiquities Authority salvage mission led by the IAA's Marine Archaeology Unit.

Members of a diving club in the ancient harbor in Caesarea National Park discovered the coins. At first they thought the coin they saw was a toy, but soon realized it was genuine.

They returned to shore and reported the find to the diving club director. He contacted the marine unit, which sent IAA divers to accompany them to the site of the discovery.

Using a metal detector, the divers found nearly 2,000 different-sized coins.

IAA Marine Archaeology Unit director Kobi Sharvit said the recent winter storm exposed the coin cache.

Sharvit said the discovery raised several possible scenarios.

"The discovery of such a large hoard of coins—that had such tremendous economic power in antiquity—raises several possibilities regarding its presence in the seabed," Sharvit said.

The director said the coins could have been anything from tax payments to salaries for the military garrison stationed in Caesarea.

Another possibility is that the coins belonged to a large merchant ship that traded with the cities along the coast.

Meanwhile, IAA numismatist Robert Cole said the coins are in "excellent" condition overall.

"The coins are in an excellent state of preservation, and despite the fact they were at the bottom of the sea for about a thousand years, they did not require any cleaning or conservation intervention from the metallurgical laboratory," Cole said in an IAA press release.

"This is because gold is a noble metal and is not affected by air or water. The coins that were exposed also remained in the monetary circulation after the Crusader conquest, particularly in the port cities through which international commerce was conducted," he explained.

Israeli law stipulates that all antiquities belong to the state. Not reporting or removing finds is punishable by up to five years in jail.

Sharvit said the discovery of the coins underscored the need to "combine the development of the place as a tourism and diving site with restrictions that will allow the public to dive there only when accompanied by inspectors or instructors from the diving club."

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Long Beach, California Cancels Their Popular July 4th Fireworks Show, Even for America's 250th Birthday, Citing Pollution as the Reason

Digital Nightmare? Anthropic Withholds AI Model Too Dangerous for Humanity

'A Victory for All Pro-Life Oregonians': Federal Judge Rules State Can't Force Oregon Right to Life to Pay for Abortions

10 Republicans Side With Dems to Provide Amnesty to Haitian Illegals

Virginia Dems Pass National Popular Vote Law that Experts Warn Is Unconstitutional

Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Begins; Trump Says Iran's Regime Agrees to Give Up Having Nuclear Weapons

President Trump: Strait of Hormuz 'Fully Open', Oil Prices Drop

Clarence Thomas Destroys 'Progressivism' in Ruthless Speech

Trump Reveals He Has Multi-Pick SCOTUS Plan Ready as Justice Retirement Speculation Heats Up

Trump Admin Pushes Global Plan to Protect Kids Online

Youth Mental Health Deteriorates after Gender Reassignment Services, Extensive, Long-Term Study Finds

Trump Administration Pulls $11 Million in Funding for Catholic Charities that Sheltered Illegal Alien Minors

Prayer Alert: Former Democrat Lt. Gov. and Wife Found Dead in Apparent Murder-Suicide; Kids Were Home at the Time

Israeli Forces Discover Huge Hezbollah Weapons Cache Inside School; Destroy 70 Hezbollah Terror Sites in Lebanon

US War on Iran's Regime Could Be Ending Soon; Ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon Announced

Melania Trump Joins Lawmakers for Roundtable Discussion on Empowering Foster Care Children

Heroic Oklahoma High School Principal Shot in the Leg as He Tackles Would-Be Shooter Before Gunman Opens Fire on Students (VIDEO)

Teachers' Union Webinar Sparks Indoctrination Fears

'Deadnaming' Is Now Classified as 'Gender-Based Violence' in Liberal Canada

The War on Biology Is Far from Over