Police searched the home of a suspected illegal antiquities dealer and found hundreds of ancient coins, arrowheads, pottery, and other artifacts from periods ranging from the Iron Age until the Muslim period.
Police found approximately 200 ancient coins, arrowheads, intact pottery dishes and oil lamps, glass beads, pendants, and metal objects which were held and sold illegally, as well as two metal detectors while searching the home of a resident of the city of Dimona in southern Israel on Monday.
The items are estimated to be from periods ranging from the Iron Age (the 9th Century BCE) until the Muslim period (the 7th Century CE).
The search was conducted by detectives from the Dimona Police Station due to a suspicion that the suspect, a resident of the city in his 40s, was involved in the illegal trade of antiquities.
During the search, the police also seized various airsoft weapons with a lot of ammunition and cash amounting to over 150 thousand shekels.
In a joint investigation with the Antiquities and Tax Authorities, the suspicion of extensive trade of the items and their export to interested parties overseas was investigated.
