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- Displaced Israeli boy finds 2,000-year-old Hasmonean coin in Dead Sea area
Displaced Israeli boy finds 2,000-year-old Hasmonean coin in Dead Sea area
IAA's Dr. Robert Kool describes the find as 'on the face of the coin appears an anchor, and around it appears an inscription in Greek - ‘Alexander Basileus'
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Displaced since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on southern Israel, an 11-year-old boy from Kibbutz Magen found a 2,000-year-old Hasmonean era coin while exploring his temporary accommodations at the Dead Sea, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced.
Nati Tokiyar was described by his father Ronen as a “curious boy who likes to look at the ground and look for interesting things. After the trip, he came back to me excited and told me that he found a small coin.”
“We researched the coin a bit on the Internet, and on Nati's own initiative, he suggested calling and reporting the finding to the Antiquities Authority,” Ronen explained.
“The great care we received and the fact that archaeologist Alex Freiberg came all the way to meet Nati and give him a certificate made him very happy. It motivates me to show good citizenship next time as well,” the father concluded.
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Representatives from the IAA, Orit Apalo and Einat Kashi, shared the official activities provided since October 7, saying “We have guides from the educational centers of the Antiquities Authority organizing and conducting activities in hundreds of hotels where evacuees are staying. The participants get a few moments of distraction from the difficult reality and are exposed to the world of antiquities.”
"We meet the residents of Kibbutz Magen as part of a wide range of activities carried out among evacuees in the Dead Sea region, and we are happy that the younger generation already knows about the importance of antiquities,” the two archeologists added.
As for the special find, Dr. Robert Kool who heads the coin division at the IAA described it as “a coin of Hasmonean king and high priest Alexander Jannaeus (104-76 BCE). On the face of the coin appears an anchor, and around it appears an inscription in Greek - ‘Alexander Basileus,’ which translates to ‘(of) Alexander the King.’ On the back of the coin appears a star with eight rays, surrounded by a crown of kings. Between the rays, you can see an inscription, which appears in small letters. Only a part of it can be deciphered here. It recalls the name and title of the king in ancient Hebrew: [Yohan]n/he/mel/[cha]/."
"The proliferation of these coins along the Dead Sea coastline serves as a testament to the military campaigns and conquests waged against the Kingdom of Nabataea across the Jordan River. They facilitated payment to the king's soldiers, fortified strategic outposts such as Masada, Machaerus, and Qumran, and contributed to the establishment of a naval fleet operating in the Dead Sea. Hence, the presence of the anchor symbol on the coin may well derive from this maritime activity,” Dr. Kool explained.
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