The treasure consisted of 97 pure gold coins and dozens of gold earring fragments, each embedded with pearls, semi-precious stones, and glass.

"This is one of the most significant Byzantine-period treasures discovered on land in Israel, unique for its combination of jewelry and gold coins from different emperors' reigns. Additionally, fabric remnants were found on some coins – traces of the cloth bag in which the treasure was hidden," said Dr. Michael Eisenberg from the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, co-director of the excavation expedition.

Among the coins, researchers discovered a particularly rare item: a tremissis likely minted in Cyprus in late 610 by Emperor Heraclius the Elder and his son during their rebellion against Emperor Phocas. This is only the second coin of its type ever found in Israel. "This is a rare find that adds an important layer to understanding the political and economic history of the period," explained Dr. Danny Syon, numismatist of the excavation expedition.

The treasure was discovered accidentally in late July 2025. Eddie Lipsman, a metal detector operator accompanying the expedition, passed near a large stone when his device began signaling the presence of metal. When the stone fell between two walls, the signal intensified, and within moments, gold coins began emerging one after another from the archaeological section. "The device went crazy, I couldn't believe it – gold coins started appearing one after another," Lipsman recounted. Researchers delayed announcing the discovery to ensure no additional finds remained in the area and to complete the initial research phase.

The treasure includes 97 gold coins and delicate jewelry. Some coins are full-value solidus, but halves (semissis) and thirds (tremissis) were also found. They date from Emperor Justinus I (518-527 CE) to the early reign of Emperor Heraclius (610-613 CE). "Gold is a noble metal, and finding coins and jewelry approximately 1,400 years old that look brand new is a rare experience," said Dr. Eisenberg. Dr. Arleta Kowalewska added, "The earrings are the biggest surprise for me. Delicate craftsmanship combining semi-precious stones and pearls – I hope contemporary jewelers will recreate this beauty."

The ancient city of Susita, overlooking the Sea of Galilee from the east, was an important Christian center during the Byzantine period, serving as a bishop's seat with at least seven active churches. The site has been excavated for 26 years by the University of Haifa's excavation expedition led by Dr. Eisenberg and Dr. Kowalewska. This marks the first discovery of a gold treasure of this scale in the city. In recent years, researchers have uncovered remains linked to the Sasanian conquest, including the burning of the Martyr Theodorus Church, leading to speculation that local Jews may have participated in the rebellion alongside the Sasanian army against Byzantine rule.

Dr. Dror Ben-Yosef, archaeologist and heritage supervisor for the Northern District of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, stated: "Susita National Park is a mountain of surprises spanning 1,000 years of history. Excavating the site has shed new light on both the pagan and Christian worlds. Susita's story teaches us about the cultural and religious currents and subcurrents present in the land simultaneously, as well as about the diversity of its residents. To understand the complexity of the area approximately 1,400 years ago, one needs only to climb Mount Susita and look west toward Tiberias, the Jewish city. While a wealthy Christian community developed in Susita around seven churches, Tiberias residents maintained a Jewish lifestyle centered on synagogues."

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Remains of a woman buried while bound in 30 iron rings were discovered in an ancient Byzantine monastery near Jerusalem. This is the first archaeological evidence in the world of extreme asceticism among female nuns – a phenomenon previously known only from historical writings.

Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Weizmann Institute of Science revealed the rare finding using innovative technology that enables identification of the biological sex of the buried person through analysis of proteins from tooth enamel. The examination was necessary due to the poor condition of the skeleton and revealed that the bound monk was actually a woman.

"The woman was discovered in an individual grave, dedicated to her beneath the church platform as a sign of honor," explain researchers Zubair Adawi, Kfir Arbiv, and Dr. Yossi Nagar from the Israel Antiquities Authority. "She was bound with 12 to 14 rings around her arms or hands, four rings around her neck, and at least 10 rings around her legs. Iron plates or discs on her abdomen, which were connected to the rings, gave her skeleton the appearance of armor."

The site where the nun was discovered is located about three kilometers northwest of the Old City of Jerusalem and has been identified as a Byzantine monastery that operated between the 5th and 7th centuries CE.

It is important to emphasize that carrying the heavy iron rings was not a method of torture or punishment imposed on monks and nuns, but was done voluntarily. Historical sources indicate that this was one of the extraordinary ways in which monks – and apparently nuns as well – practiced self-mortification. The prevailing concept at that time was that the more a person abstained from pleasures, and even tortured the body, the more the soul would rise to lofty spiritual heights.

According to excavation directors Adawi and Arbiv, "The nun is an expression of a phenomenon that was common among Byzantine monks in ancient times, which was individual in nature and accompanied by excessive extremism." They detail that monks forced self-destruction and self-harm on their bodies through various methods: "Among the described torture methods were prolonged fasting, wrapping iron chains and various accessories around the body or tying the body to rocks, loading heavy weights, tying the body and putting it in a device to force it to stand and prevent it from sleeping, self-imprisonment, and confinement to a narrow and isolated living space."

The researchers note that the new discovery strengthens the understanding that extreme asceticism began in northern Syria and Anatolia, expanded to Asia Minor, and reached Western Europe while simultaneously heading south – to Jerusalem and Egypt.

Dr. Amit Ram, Jerusalem region archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority, emphasizes the importance of the discovery in its historical and gender context: "Ascetic nuns are a fascinating phenomenon. These women lived and operated in a rigid patriarchal male environment that restricted their movements. In order to take part in the noble religious ideals of monastic life and asceticism of that time, which were mostly the domain of men only, they were forced – according to traditions and legends – to disguise themselves as men, and thus lived until their death."

From historical writings, many women are known to have arrived in Jerusalem, settled there and in its surroundings, and some even established monasteries there. It is possible that the "ring nun" who was discovered was a nun who came to Jerusalem from Syria after being exposed to the phenomenon there, or she was a local nun who adopted the method.

Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, concludes: "This is a fascinating discovery, which will require further research by Israel Antiquities Authority researchers to better understand the role of women in religious and monastic life during that period."

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Israeli archaeologists continue to uncover a Byzantine-era basilica, a large Ancient Roman building with multiple functions, in Israel's southern port city Ashdod.

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The mosaiced church, built in the fourth or fifth century Common Era, is acclaimed as one of the earliest and largest Christian basilicas found in Israel, according to Haaretz.

It is also one of the most unique, as it was recently discovered to be the site of mass burials including inscriptions dedicated to female ministers.

Such mass graves are typical of large disease outbreaks, Haaretz suggested, as experts hypothesize that they may have found rare evidence of a plague pandemic that swept through the Byzantine Empire in the sixth century CE.

i24NEWS contributed to this report.

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Israeli researchers announced last week the discovery of an ancient Christian church in the Golan Heights that dates from the Byzantine Era.

An excavation team from the Israel Antiquities Authority said that the church dated back to 400 CE and had likely built upon a pagan temple dedicated to the Greek god Pan, according to The Times of Israel.

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According to Professor Adi Erlich of the University of Haifa, the 5th-century builders likely converted the ancient temple for their own purposes. Erlich also noted that the church may be the site where Jesus tasked Peter with establishing Christianity, as mentioned in Matthew 16:18.

"You are Peter and, on this rock, I will build my Church," the passage reads.

After discovering an inscription carved on an altar to Pan, the satyr god of shepherds, music, and sex, IAA archaeologists said they were confident the highly stylized open-air temple had once been dedicated to Pan.

The very word Banias, the name of the Golan Heights spring that is the source of the Jordan River, is thought to be a slight Arabic corruption and alteration of the word Panias or Paneus – a reference to the same god.

The church was discovered as part of a conservation project by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the University of Haifa to preserve monumental archaeology.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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