The director of the marine archaeology unit at the Israel Antiquities Authority, said excavations would be carried out in the hope of shedding more light on the origin of the treasure. Perhaps they'd find the shipwreck of an official treasury boat on its way to the central government in Egypt with taxes that had been collected meant to pay the salaries of the Fatimid military garrison which was stationed in Caesarea and protected the city.
In another theory, the treasure could have been money belonging to a large wrecked merchant ship that traded with the coastal cities and the port on the Mediterranean Sea.
The Israeli Antiquities Authority declined to put a cash value on the coins, which it said had been exposed as a result of winter storms.
When I looked up images labeled for reuse, I was astounded to see the flag, recalled from a vivid dream in the 70s. A gold crescent moon on the left almost swallows a star on a green background. My dream concerned my husband at that time, who acted as a powerful, cruel leader. Strange how some dreams remain in your memory. I believe in reincarnation, and think my dream revealed our past connection. In this way, past and present are linked, not only through remaining artifacts, but also in our remarkable human brain.
When you consider the circumstances of your birth, you must wonder. Why did you join the family and country of your birth? You could have just as easily arrived in another land to different parents. What if you'd been born under the ISIS persuasion? Would you then adopt their beliefs? We can never condemn those of another race or persuasion. 'There, for the grace of God, go I.'
And so, the ancient treasure found off the coast of Israel points out the futility of power wrangles between different factions.