ANCIENT COIN FIND IN LOD, ISRAEL

 

Archaeologists have uncovered a hoard of silver and bronze coins dating from the 4th century CE buried in the foundations of an ancient, destroyed Jewish public building in the central Israel city of Lod, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced on Sunday.

The 94 coins were probably buried for safekeeping during the events of the Gallus Revolt (351-354 CE), a lesser-known Jewish uprising against Roman rule in the land of Israel, but the building was destroyed and the coins were never recovered, the IAA said.

The Gallus Revolt was named by historians after the Roman Emperor Constantius Gallus (326–354), who at the time was presiding over a fractured, weakened empire, but specifics about the events are not clear, explained IAA archaeologist Mor Viezel, co-director of the Lod excavations, to The Times of Israel.

According to the Roman historians, Roman forces came to Tiberias, Sepphoris and Lod and destroyed buildings down to their foundations. And this is the building we found in Lod, with this treasure of 94 coins buried underground, Viezel said.

Although the building was destroyed, archaeologists found impressive stone and marble artifacts along with Greek, Hebrew and Latin inscriptions including one bearing the name of a Jewish man from a priestly family, which is still being studied, the IAA said. The building could have been used as a synagogue, study hall, meeting hall of the elders, or all three of these functions as one.The archaeologists actually discovered hundreds of coins in the excavation, but the specific hoard of 94 coins, found together, was dated from the time of the Gallus Revolt or just before, and a significant number of them hadn't been used very much, Viezel said, indicated that they were newly minted and then set aside.

The archaeologists actually discovered hundreds of coins in the excavation, but the specific hoard of 94 coins, found together, was dated from the time of the Gallus Revolt or just before, and a significant number of them hadn't been used very much, Viezel said, indicated that they were newly minted and then set aside.

We see them as emergency coins. There was instability, and they buried the coins to protect them. They did it in a public building. We find a lot of these hoards in synagogues, as people felt those buildings would survive and they could return later, Viezel said.

To read the complete articles, see:
Ancient Lod coin hoard reveals details of little-known 4th-century Jewish uprising (https://www.timesofisrael.com/ancient-lod-coin-hoard-reveals-details-of-little-known-4th-century-jewish-uprising/)
The last rebellion: Hoard of coins reveals Lod's ancient history (https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/archeology/artc-the-last-rebellion-hoard-of-coins-reveals-lod-s-ancient-history)

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