Gold coin on offer to Kerala civic authorities who cull maximum number of stray dogs

The alumni association of a prominent college has announced an incentive to eliminate the menace of stray dogs in Kerala. The association would give gold coins to the civic authorities which killed the maximum number of stray dogs till December 10 in Kerala because four persons have lost their lives and over 700 have been injured in canine attacks in the last four months.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 31 October 2016.

As per official government figures, 701 people, including 175 children, were injured in stray dog attacks in the last four months across the State and, in the current year, 53,000 people have taken treatment for dog bites in government medical college hospitals alone. Obviously, this is a matter of concern.
Therefore, office-bearers of the Old Students Welfare Association of the Pala-based (Kottayam) St. Thomas College has indicated an incentive in the form of a “gift” of gold coin that would be given to the heads of panchayats and municipalities across the State where most stray dogs were killed.
The outfit had recently provided air guns at subsidised rates to deal with violent dogs and, before that, a State-based industrialist had offered cash incentives were for culling dogs.
The gold coins would be bought with contributions from the representatives of the 1,200 member-association and the weight of the coins would be decided according to the total amount collected. The civic authorities, who apply for the gold coins, should submit day-to-day figures of the culled dogs.


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Archaeological excavation finds Gupta-era settlement in Murshidabad

It all started with the accidental discovery of gold coins on May 31, 2013, from mud dumped near Ahiran in Murshidabad - it was part of a project to expand National Highway 34. There were around 100 gold coins found but police could only recover 11. Each of the coins weighed 8-9g and were later identified as belonging to Gupta rulers - Samudragupta, Chandragupta and Chandragupta II or Kumaragupta.
The Gupta rule continued from the third to sixth centuries.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 2 September 2016.

The coins and other artifacts unearthed point to possibility of a Gupta-era settlement in the region of Sialkali, in Murshidabad's Raghunathganj. Since August 11, a team from the directorate of archaeology and museums has been digging a mound in Sialkali which is spread across 1,600sq m and is 15ft above the ground. The trial dig was to ascertain whether Sialkali is indeed the source of the gold coins that had been accidentally discovered.
Sialkali is around 10-Km from the spot near Ahiran where the coins were found.
Among the pottery shards found are pieces of cylindrical containers, miniature medicine jars with lids, large round-bottomed pots, small bowls and vases. The colors of the pottery shards are grey, black, buff, deep red, brown and bright red (these are typical of the Gupta period).
Apart from these, there were pestles to grind medicinal herbs, a stone wheel about 10cm in diameter, terracotta beads, balls, fragments of toy animals and a two-tiered lamp with a hollow base. There was also a headless doll shaped out of clay with fingers - it belongs to the ageless variety and such a doll has never been found so far in the region.
No structures have been found yet but, a few decorated bricks have come to surface and, at some distance from the dig, there are reports of seeing a stone dais and a flight of stairs.


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1600-year-old treasure trove from Roman-era ship discovered in the sea bed near Israel

The cargo consisting of thousands of coins and fragments of life-size bronze cast statues from a Roman-era ship that sank off the Mediterranean coast 1,600 years ago has been discovered near Israel. This discovery made in the harbour of Caesareahas has been described as the country's most significant discovery of Roman-era artefacts for 30 years.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 16 May 2016.

In the opinion of the Israel Antiques Authority, the finds are in an "amazing state" of preservation because of the coatings of sand. The remains of the ship were "left uncovered on the sea bottom" and were discovered by two divers last month. Then followed successive trips to recover the haul.
The cargo also has animal-shaped objects and bronze lamps and is believed to be a rare archaeological find since metal statues of this types were routinely melted down and recycled during the period. Earlier excavations at the site had uncovered some bronze statues but the current haul is said to be much larger than previous discoveries.
It appears the merchant ship was loaded with the metal cargo and the intention might have been to recycle it. The vessel must have hit a storm as it entered Caesarea and had drifted away before hitting the seawall and rocks. The director of marine archaeology at the IAA feels that some of the objects could be traced back to the fourth century, while other items are from the first and second century.
Incidentally, last year divers had discovered a stash of gold coins inscribed in Arabic and thought to be 1,000 years old on the sea bed off Israel.


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Treasure trove of 11th century gold coins unearthed from ancient Israeli harbor

#fatimid #israel #egypt #caesarea #goldcoins A group of divers belonging to the Marine Archaeology Unit in Israel has stumbled upon the largest hoard of gold coins ever discovered in the country. It seems nearly 2000 gold coins of the Fatimid period, or the eleventh century, were unearthed from the seabed of the ancient harbor in Caesarea National Park.
This information has been released by the Israel Antiquities Authority as reported on foxnews.com dated 17 February 2015. In the opinion of Kobi Sharvit, director of the Marine Archaeology Unit of the Israel Antiquities Authority, this could be the result of a shipwreck of an official treasury boat which was carrying taxes collected and was on its way to the central government in Egypt. The coins were probably meant to pay the members of the Fatimid military garrison that was stationed at Caesarea, Israel.
Another theory is that the coins could have belonged to a sunken merchant ship. The condition of the coins are good in spite of having been in the bottom of the sea for over 1000 years. This has been revealed by Robert Cole, an expert numismatist.
The five divers who have found the treasure have been called “model citizens” by the antiquities organization. In case they would have tried to remove them, or tried to sell them, they could have been imprisoned for up to five years.