A climber found a rare gold coin minted with the Roman emperor Augustus dating back nearly 2,000 years, identical to the version on display at the British Museum in London.

According to Discovery News, the coin was born in 107, in a series of coins that Emperor Trajan had minted to commemorate his predecessors. According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, this is the second Roman gold coin found. The other coin with the exact same shape is on display at the British Museum in London.

Laurie Rimon discovered the coin in the grass while hiking with a group of friends in the eastern Galilee region. As described by Danny Syon, coin expert from the Israel Antiquities Authority, this 2,000-year-old coin is a rare find around the world.

“On the reverse side of the coin there is the emblem of the ancient Roman legion next to the emperor Trajan’s name and on the front is a portrait of the emperor Augustus, who was deified by the senators upon his death,” Syon said.

Donald T. Ariel, the manager of the coin department at the Israel Antiquities Authority, attributes the coin to the Roman military presence in the area 2,000 years ago to suppress supporters of the uprising. Bar Kochba (132 – 136) against the Roman Empire.

While silver and copper coins were very popular under the emperor Trajan, gold coins were extremely rare. “According to historical records, some Roman soldiers were paid a high salary of three gold coins, equivalent to 75 silver coins, a day. Due to the high value of gold coins, the soldiers could not use them. them to buy goods at the market because sellers can’t afford to return them,” Ariel said.