Israeli archaeologists find trove of ancient coins from Roman rule in Israel

Archaeologists in Israel recently made a “dramatic” discovery that provides invaluable historical knowledge about Jewish life in ancient Roman-era Israel, officials said.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Sunday on Facebook the excavation of a site in Lod, which is located in central Israel. The IAA explained that its archaeologists recently found the remains of a “destroyed Jewish public building” that once stood in Syria Palaestina, or Roman Palestine.

“Among the various finds in the building were impressive stone and marble artifacts; Greek, Hebrew and Latin inscriptions, and an inscription with the name of a Jewish man from a priestly family, which is still under study,” the IAA said.

“These inscriptions, together with the complete absence of pig bones in the bone assemblage discovered at this site, attest to the association of this building with the Jewish community.”

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In particular, excavators found a hoard of 94 coins that are approximately 1,650 years old. The IAA traces the discovery to the Jewish revolt against Constantius Gallus, which began in 351 AD.

“The last coins date from the time of the Gallic revolt (351-354 AD),” the IAA statement explains. “Although written evidence for this revolt is scarce, there are texts reporting that important Jewish communities such as Lod, Zipori and Tiberias were destroyed by the forces of the Roman Caesar Flavius ​​Constantius Gallus.”

The oldest coins could have been produced as early as 221 AD. Historians said the treasure was deliberately hidden during the revolt.

A woman out for a walk stumbles upon a once-in-a-decade discovery.

The buried treasure dates back to the Jewish revolt against Constantius Gallus. (Israel Antiquities Authority/Facebook)

“[They] “They were deliberately placed there, with the hope of returning to collect them when the situation calmed down,” the IAA said.

Two of the site’s excavators, Shahar Krispin and Mor Viezel, said in a joint statement that the “magnificent” building likely served as housing for the city’s Jewish elders.

“From Talmudic writings we know that Lod was a very important Jewish center after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem,” the statement explains. “This building, destroyed to its foundations, is a clear indication that the revolt was put down with violence and cruelty, and was not simply a local uprising, as some previous studies maintained.”

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Stone and marble artifacts, as well as centuries-old coins, were also discovered at the excavation site. (Israel Antiquities Authority/Facebook)

“This is the singular testimony, so far, of the magnitude and power of this revolt in Lod, located in the center of the country.”

Lod Mayor Yair Revivo called the discovery “very moving.”

“[It is] “Another link in the chain of Lod’s Tannaitic period heritage as the seat of the authors of the Mishnah and of Lod’s Jewish history,” the mayor said. “Finds in the area show that Lod is one of the oldest cities in the world.”

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Professor Joshua Schwartz of the Council of the Israel Antiquities Authority noted that the discovery also raises additional questions.

“It is difficult to determine whether this magnificent building served as a synagogue, a study hall, a meeting room for the elders, or all three functions at the same time,” Schwartz explained. “But what is clear is that the size of the building, the hoard of coins and the array of archaeological finds produced by the excavation fit well with the description of Lod/Diospolis in Jewish and non-Jewish sources as a center of true Jewish life of the Torah. in the periods of the Mishnah and the Talmud.”

Lod Mayor Yair Revivo, pictured holding an ancient coin. (Israel Antiquities Authority/Facebook)

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“Lod’s role as a leading community with elders continued from after the destruction until the time it was cruelly annihilated in the Gallus Revolt,” Schwartz said.