Metal detectorist Edie Lipsman thought she was having a typical day surveying archaeological sites near the Sea of Galilee.
But when her metal detector started going crazy near a large stone, she knew something extraordinary was buried beneath her feet.
And the metal detectorist uncovered one treasure that revealed a stunning truth about an ancient Christian city.
The discovery that made archaeologists’ jaws drop
Edie Lipsman’s discovery in July turned out to be one of the year’s most important archaeological finds: a 1,400-year-old Byzantine treasure that tells an amazing story of faith, fear, and survival.
Lipsman was working with the University of Haifa excavation team at the ancient city of Hippos (Sussita) when her detector picked up a signal near a large stone between two ancient walls.
"The device went crazy. I couldn’t believe it, gold coins started appearing one after another," Lipsman recalled.¹
What emerged from that ancient hiding spot was breathtaking – 97 pure gold coins and dozens of intricate jewelry pieces, including earrings adorned with pearls, semi-precious stones, and glass.
The hoard represents one of the largest Byzantine-era gold discoveries ever made in Israel, according to Dr. Michael Eisenberg, co-director of the excavation and an archaeologist at the University of Haifa.
"This is one of the largest hoards from the Byzantine period discovered on dry land in Israel, and its uniqueness lies in the combination of jewelry and gold coins from the reigns of different emperors," Eisenberg explained.²
The coins span nearly a century of Byzantine rule, from Emperor Justin I (518-527 AD) to the early reign of Heraclius (610-641 AD).
But here’s what makes this find even more remarkable – some of the coins still had traces of fabric clinging to them, evidence of the cloth pouch their desperate owner used to hide them nearly 1,400 years ago.
What this ancient treasure reveals about a city under siege
The timing of when this treasure was buried tells a story that should give every Christian chills.
Hippos was a thriving Christian city during the Byzantine period, serving as the seat of a bishop with at least seven active churches overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
But by 614 AD, the Sasanian Empire – modern-day Iran and surrounding regions – came charging into Byzantine Palestine like a wrecking ball.
Christian residents throughout the region, including Hippos, faced a terrifying choice: flee immediately or risk capture by foreign armies who showed little mercy to Christian communities.
Most chose to bury their most precious possessions and run, hoping they could return later to reclaim their wealth.
They never got the chance.
Historical records show that Jerusalem fell during the 614 campaign, though Byzantine forces managed to reclaim the region around 629 AD.
But their victory was short-lived – by 636 AD, Muslim armies swept through the area permanently, and Hippos began its long decline into abandonment.
The city finally met its end in 749 AD when a devastating earthquake leveled what remained of this once-proud Christian stronghold.
The rare coin that exposes a Byzantine power struggle
Among the treasure, archaeologists found something that made their hearts race – a rare tremissis likely minted in Cyprus in 610 AD.
This wasn’t just any coin.
It was minted during a rebellion against Emperor Phocas by General Heraclius the Elder and his son, who would eventually establish the Byzantine Heraclian dynasty that ruled from 610 to 711.
"This is only the second such coin ever discovered in Israel," noted Dr. Danny Syon, the excavation’s numismatist.³
Think about that for a second – this coin represents one of the most dramatic power struggles in Byzantine history, minted during an active rebellion, and now it’s sitting in an Israeli laboratory after being buried for nearly 1,400 years.
The jewelry pieces tell their own story of wealth and status.
The earrings, crafted with pearls and semi-precious stones, signal that whoever owned this treasure wasn’t some peasant farmer scraping by.
This was someone with serious money who had everything to lose when those foreign armies came marching toward their city.
What archaeologists aren’t telling you about the bigger picture
Look, here’s what makes this discovery so significant beyond the obvious excitement of finding ancient gold.
"The first half of the 7th century contains the largest number of emergency hoards of coins in gold and bronze," Eisenberg told researchers.⁴
That’s not coincidence – that’s terror.
"People were terrified and left relatively a lot of hoards, mainly coins," he continued.
Translation: this wasn’t an isolated incident of one family burying their wealth.
Entire Christian communities across the region were doing the exact same thing as foreign armies advanced, creating what archaeologists now recognize as a pattern of "emergency hoards" throughout the Byzantine world.
These people knew their civilization was collapsing around them.
They knew their Christian communities were about to be overrun by hostile forces.
And they made the desperate calculation that burying their wealth offered the only hope of preserving something for future generations.
The fact that this particular hoard stayed buried for 1,400 years tells you everything you need to know about how that story ended for the Christians of Hippos.
Dr. Dror Ben-Yosef from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority explained the site’s significance: "Sussita National Park is a mountain of surprises, containing 1,000 years of history. The excavation has shed new and surprising light on both the pagan and Christian worlds. The story of Sussita illustrates the cultural and religious streams and sub-streams that coexisted in the land, and the diversity of its inhabitants."⁵
But there’s something else archaeologists are discovering that challenges previous assumptions about late Byzantine Hippos.
Earlier excavations suggested the city was in decline by the 7th century, with less grand architecture than during the Roman period.
The wealth represented by this hoard suggests otherwise – at least some very affluent residents were still calling Hippos home right up until the end.
"This hoard indicates that at least some affluent residents lived in Hippos, suggesting the city was prosperous enough to support them – otherwise they would likely have left," Eisenberg explained.⁶
For Christian communities today watching hostile forces gain ground in various parts of the world, this discovery serves as a sobering reminder of how quickly civilizations can change – and how precious the freedoms we take for granted really are.
The gold coins of Hippos survived because they were hidden in desperate times.
The question facing modern Christians is whether our faith and values will prove equally durable when tested by the forces of our own turbulent age.
¹ Michael Eisenberg, University of Haifa, "Byzantine Gold Hoard Discovery," Israel365 News, September 25, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Danny Syon, University of Haifa Excavation, "Rare Tremissis Analysis," Live Science, September 26, 2025.
⁴ Michael Eisenberg, "Emergency Hoards Pattern," Times of Israel, September 25, 2025.
⁵ Dror Ben-Yosef, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, "Sussita Historical Significance," YNet News, September 25, 2025.
⁶ Michael Eisenberg, "Wealth Indicators in Late Byzantine Hippos," Times of Israel, September 25, 2025.
