Largest Roman-Era Coin Collection Discovered In Judean Hills Near Jerusalem
New York - October, 2009: The largest collection of Roman-period coins from the Bar-Kokhba revolt was discovered this month during excavations in a cave in the Judean Hills north of Jerusalem.
The cache of 120 gold, silver and bronze coins was found in three batches in a deep cavern located in a nature reserve. The coins, imprinted with Jewish religious images and texts, are believed to have belonged to a group of Jewish fighters hiding in the cave during the Bar-Kokhba rebellion against the Romans in the year 132.
“This discovery verifies the assumption that the refugees of the revolt fled to caves in the center of a populated area in addition to the caves found in more isolated areas of the Judean Desert,” says Professor Amos Frumkin of the Hebrew University. “Bar-Kokhba coins of this quality and quantity have never before been discovered in one location in Israel.”
Also, weapons, pottery and other gold, silver and bronze Roman coins were discovered in the cave.
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October 22, 2009
Posted in: Israel