SEE IT: 2,000-year-old silver coins found in Judean cave near Dead Sea
Heather Hamilton
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A wooden box containing 15 silver coins that are said to be around 2,200 years old was found in a Judean Desert excavation in Israel.
In addition to the coins, which date back to the reign of Antiochos IV in 176 BC and were minted by Ptolemy VI, the then-King of Egypt, the box contained small stones, a large piece of purple woolen cloth, and sheep’s wool.
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The coins are currently being exhibited to the public over Hanukkah in the Hasmonean Museum in Modi’in, Israel.
The box was found in a crack inside the Murabba’at Cave in the Darageh Stream Nature Reserve. Based on the dates of the coins, the Israel Antiquities Authority believes they were hidden at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt when war was declared against Antiochos IV and his decrees against the Jewish religion.
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“It is interesting to try to visualize the person who fled to the cave and hid his personal property here intending to return to collect it,” Eitan Klein, Deputy Director with Israel Antiquities Authority, told the Washington Examiner in a statement. “The person was probably killed in the battles, and he did not return to collect his possessions, which awaited almost 2,200 years until we retrieved them. This unique find presented the first clear archaeological evidence that the Judean Desert caves played an active role as the stage of the activities of the Jewish rebels or the fugitives in the early days of the Maccabean Revolt or the events that led up to them.”
The excavation was carried out in March and May as part of the Judean Desert Excavation and Survey Project under the guidance of the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Archaeological Office for the Military Administration of Judea and Samaria and in cooperation with the Ministry for Jerusalem and Heritage.
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“This moving find, coming just before the festival of Hannukah, is symbolic, emphasizing once again the importance of our activity in the field of heritage,” said Zeev Elkin, minister of Construction and Housing for Jerusalem and Heritage.
The current exhibition comes in connection with Israel Heritage Week.