Greek Queen Arsinoe on an Israeli Coin

A rare gold coin dating back 2,200 years was discovered by a combined university research team in Israel which consisted of U.S. researchers working for the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota on June 26. The coin is bearing Arsinoe II’s image and it was found embedded in a stone wall in Israel.
Dr. Donald T. Ariel, head of the Coin Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), said the coin ranked in the top five of the rarest finds in that country’s history. Ariel said the coin weighs almost one ounce (27.71 grams), while most ancient gold coins weighed about 4.5 grams. It was minted in Alexandria, Egypt, by Ptolemy V and dates to 191 BCE. It is only the second gold Ptolemaic coin ever found in Israel.

The reverse side of the coin illustrates two “overlapping cornucopias decorated with fillets,” according to the IAA.