JERUSALEM - ARCHAEOLOGISTS have discovered 264 gold coins dating from the seventh century AD at a dig in Jerusalem's old city, Israeli public television reported on Monday.

The solid 24-carat coins bear the likeness of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius, who reigned from 610 to 641, and the treasure was found in a niche concealed in a wall, it said.

The discovery was made during excavations in the area known as the 'City of David,' an ancient site in the eastern part of the city annexed by Israel after it was seized in the 1967 Six-Day War. -- AFP