The coins, one of which was minted by the Maccabees and bears the image of a menorah, were loot by antiquities thieves and smuggled to American auction houses.By World Israel News Staff Two rare ancient coins, including one depicting the seven-branched menorah that stood in the Temple in Jerusalem, were returned to Israel this week after an international investigation into antiquities smuggling.The coins were handed over Monday at an official ceremony at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York. The operation was carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit, the Manhattan district attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit and US Homeland Security officials.The coins were minted in Hasmonean-era Jerusalem and in the ancient Mediterranean port city of Ascalon, modern-day Ashkelon.According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, the coins were illegally taken from the ground by antiquities looters, smuggled out of Israel and later offered for sale through US auction houses.Israeli inspectors passed intelligence to American authorities, leading to an investigation into the auction houses and sellers. The joint probe produced evidence that allowed officials to confiscate the coins and return them to Israel.One of the coins is a small bronze prutah minted during the reign of Mattathias Antigonus, the last Hasmonean king, who ruled in Jerusalem from 40 to 37 BCE.One side shows a seven-branched menorah, among the earliest known artistic depictions of the Temple menorah. The other side shows the showbread table, another sacred object used in the Temple.The Israel Antiquities Authority said the coin is the only Jewish coin known to depict the seven-branched candelabrum from the Temple.Because of its rarity and its status as the last coin type of Hasmonean independence, it is defined as an item of national importance and may not be exported from Israel.The second coin is a silver tetradrachm minted in Ascalon during the Persian period more than 2,500 years ago. It is one of the rarest coins minted in the Land of Israel, with only one other known example, held by the Israel Museum.Its design was inspired by the Athenian tetradrachm, a widely used currency in the eastern Mediterranean at the time. One side depicts the helmeted goddess Athena, while the other shows an owl spreading its wings. Above the owl are the Phoenician letters aleph and nun, an abbreviation for Ascalon.Col. Matthew Bogdanos, chief of the Manhattan district attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit, said the coins’ return reflected close cooperation between Israeli and American authorities.“These extraordinary coins represent an important piece of history that is finally coming home,” Bogdanos said. “Furthermore, they represent an extraordinary partnership between the Antiquities Trafficking Unit in New York and the Israel Antiquities Authority. This is a partnership that should serve as a model for the return of looted cultural heritage around the world.”Ilan Hadad, the Israel Antiquities Authority inspector in charge of antiquities commerce, said the illegal trade in antiquities fuels looting and damages cultural heritage.“The illegal trade in antiquities is a distressing international phenomenon, which constitutes an economic engine promoting antiquities looting and untold damage to cultural heritage assets,” Hadad said. “For the sake of money, thousands of years old antiquities from the State of Israel are looted, smuggled and sold abroad.”Dr. Eitan Klein, deputy director of the Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit, said the case showed the importance of international enforcement cooperation.“The illegal trade in looted antiquities is a widespread international phenomenon, which requires cooperation between countries and enforcement agencies around the world,” Klein said. “The cooperation with our counterparts in the United States is exceptional in its scope and quality, and made this success possible, along with many other successes in the fight against the illegal antiquities trade.”Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu said Israel and the United States were working together “not only in the security arena, but also to bring home our historical story.”“The rare coin with the seven-branched menorah is a clear symbol of Jewish life in the Land of Israel thousands of years ago,” Eliyahu said. “The theft of antiquities is an attempt to erase this history of ours and cut us off from our roots. They will not succeed.”The post US returns rare Second Temple-era coins looted from Israel appeared first on World Israel News.