Archaeologists revealed that the coins were found within a wall at the Hermon Stream (Banias) nature reserve.

The coins, weighing about 170g, were hidden during the Muslim conquest of the area in 635, BBC News reports.

Yoav Lerer, director of the excavation, said the coins can provide new insights on the end of the Byzantine rule in the area.

He said: “We can imagine the owner concealing his fortune in the threat of war, hoping to return one day to retrieve his property. In retrospect, we know that he was less fortunate.”