Ancient coins from Maccabean period discovered
This is the earliest archaeological evidence that caves in the Judean Desert were used by the Maccabees
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A wooden box containing 15 silver coins, buried in a cave near Israel's Dead Sea some 2,200 years ago, was discovered during excavations in the Judean Desert last May, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said on Tuesday.
This rare treasure will be presented to the public at the Hasmonean Heritage Museum in Modiin in central Israel as part of Israel Heritage Week during the Hanukkah holiday.
The IAA said the box contained a layer of soil hiding a purple woolen cloth that covered the coins placed in its lower part. The coins have been identified as silver tetradrachms (large silver coins originating in ancient Greece) minted between 176 and 170 BCE, under Ptolemy VI Philometor, king of Egypt. His uncle, Antiochos IV Epiphanes reigned at that time over the Seleucid Empire, which dominated the land of Israel. One of the coins is engraved with the name "Shalmai" in Aramaic script.
According to the researchers, the man who had fled to the cave with his treasure was planning to return. The value of the coins would be equivalent to around 30,000 shekels ($8,700) today. It is likely that he was killed during a battle against the Seleucid Greeks.
"This is a unique, unprecedented discovery. It is the first archaeological evidence that the caves of the Judean Desert were used as a refuge and rear base by Jewish rebels during the Maccabean revolt," explained Dr. Eitan Klein, IAA archaeologist.
Director of excavations Amir Ganor, added that research carried out over the past six years in the Judean Desert had yielded thousands of archaeological finds which have been preserved from destruction and looting.