1 Sheqel Ship of Oniyahu

The "Ship of Oniyahu" takes its name from a 2,700-year-old ink inscription discovered on a pottery shard at Tel Arad in the Negev — one of the earliest known references to seafaring in ancient Hebrew script. The ostracon, dated to the late Iron Age, records a shipment order and names the vessel directly, making it an unusually concrete piece of documentary evidence for Israelite maritime activity during the First Temple period.

This coin was part of Israel's ongoing archaeological artifacts series, which the Bank of Israel used to draw deliberate connections between the modern state and the deep material history of the region. The .850 silver specification places it slightly below sterling — a cost decision consistent across the series.