Arthur Shippee and Aaron Oppenheim passed along stories of a girl's find in Jerusalem. Thanks!
-Editor
A rare silver coin from the first century was found by an 11-year-old girl volunteering in an archaeological project, the Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Tuesday. The coin was likely minted by a priest who joined the Jewish rebels against the Romans, which would make it one of the very few remains coming directly from the Temple.
This is a rare find, since out of many thousands of coins discovered to date in archaeological excavations, only about 30 are coins made of silver from the period of the Great Revolt, said Dr. Robert Kool, head of the Coin Department at the IAA.
The coin, made of pure silver, weighs 14 grams. On one side it features a cup and the inscription: Israeli shekel and second year, referring to the second year of the revolt (67-68 CE).
On the other side, another inscription reads Holy Jerusalem in ancient Hebrew script, accompanied by another word that according to the experts refers to the headquarters of the High Priest in the Temple.
The coin was found by a participant in the Emek Tzurim Sifting Project, in which volunteers sift through the dirt excavated from the Pilgrimage Road.
Liel Krutokop came with her family from Petah Tikva to do archaeological sifting at the City of David.
When I got to Emek Tzurim I thought there must be simple coins in the buckets, but I did not think I would find a coin myself, and certainly not such a rare coin from pure silver, said the 11-year-old. I was lucky to find it, but I also want to say thank you to my sister for choosing the bucket we sifted. If she had not chosen this particular bucket, I probably would not have found the coin.
To read the complete articles, see:
11-year-old finds ‘Holy Jerusalem' silver coin likely minted in the Temple
(https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/11-year-old-finds-holy-jerusalem-silver-coin-likely-minted-in-the-temple-685758)
Israeli girl finds 2,000-year-old silver coin in Jerusalem
(https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/archeology/1637699892-israeli-girl-finds-2-000-year-old-silver-coin-in-jerusalem)
Wayne Homren, Editor
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