The Israel Antiquities Authority in late December announced the discovery of 264 ancient gold coins in Jerusalem National Park. The find was described as "one of the largest and most impressive coin hoards ever discovered in Jerusalem."

British archaeologist volunteer, Nadine Ross, uncovered the ancient coins at an excavation site and within the ruins of a 7th century building near the Old City. She had been at the site for a month and found the coins in the last week of her visit. Read the rest of this entry »

A Hoard Comprising Hundreds of Gold Coins was Uncovered in the Excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is Conducting at the ‘Giv’ati Car Park’ in the City of David, in the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park.

One thousand three hundred year old Chanukah money in Jerusalem: a hoard of more than 250 gold coins was exposed Sunday in the excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting in the Giv ‘ati car park in the City of David, in the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park.

The excavations at the site are being carried out on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, in cooperation with the Nature and Parks Authority and are underwritten by the ‘Ir David Foundation.

Since the archaeological excavations began there about two years ago, they have not ceased in providing us with surprising discoveries that shed new light on different chapters of the city’s past. Currently a very large and impressive building is being uncovered that dates to about the seventh century CE (end of the Byzantine period-beginning of the Umayyad period). A large cache of 264 coins, all made of gold, was discovered among the ruins of the building.

According to Dr. Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets, directors of the excavation at the site on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "Since no pottery vessel was discovered adjacent to the hoard, we can assume that it was concealed inside a hidden niche in one of the walls of the building. It seems that with its collapse, the coins piled up there among the building debris."

Ben-Ami and Tchekhanovets believe, "This is one of the largest and most impressive coin hoards ever discovered in Jerusalem – certainly the largest and most important of its period."

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A silver coin that was used to pay the half shekel head-tax to the Temple was found in the main drainage channel of Jerusalem from the Second Temple Period.

This coming Thursday, before reading the Scroll of Esther, all devote Jews will contribute a sum of money – “a reminder of the half shekel” – which is a tradition that took root in the wake of the ancient virtuous deed of paying a tax of one half shekel to the Temple. This sum, which was used in the past for the purpose of establishing and maintaining the temple, is translated into a contemporary amount and donated to the needy.

In an archaeological excavation that is being conducted in the main drainage channel of Jerusalem from the time of the Second Temple, in the City of David, in the Walls around Jerusalem National Park, an ancient rare silver coin was recently discovered. This coin is a shekel denomination that was customarily used to pay a half shekel head-tax in the Second Temple period.

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