A trove of ancient artifacts including a coin from the Hasmonean era was found in a police search carried out on Sunday, the penultimate day of Hanukkah, in the house of an Arab resident of the eastern section of Jerusalem. The subject was taken in for questioning and the artifacts were turned over to the Israeli Antiquities Authority. Antiquities theft is rampant in Israel and carries a penalty of up to five years in jail.
According to a representative of the IAA, among the artifacts was a coin dating from the time of Antigonus II Mattathias, the last Hasmonean king, as well as a Hasmonean-era lamp and a signet ring
from the Biblical era with ancient Hebrew inscriptions.
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