Rare coins from Jewish rebellion under Roman rule excavated in Galilee
The coins, bearing the images of Roman emperors Constantius II and Constans I, were found hidden in a pit at the end of a narrow tunnel inside a large underground hiding complex
Israeli archaeologists have discovered a rare hoard of 22 bronze coins dating back more than 1,600 years in the ancient settlement of Hukok in the Lower Galilee this week. The coins, bearing the images of Roman emperors Constantius II and Constans I, were found hidden in a pit at the end of a narrow tunnel inside a vast underground hiding complex.
Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Zefat Academic College believe the treasure was stashed during the Gallus Revolt (351–352 CE), the last known Jewish uprising against Roman rule.
“This shows that hundreds of years after these tunnels were dug out, they were reused,” say the researchers. “The hoard provides – in all probability, unique evidence that this hiding complex was used in one way or another during another crisis – during the Gallus Revolt – a rebellion for which we have only scant historical evidence of its existence,” said researchers from the Antiquities Authority and Zefat Academic College.
The Hukok site, first dug during the Great Revolt (66–70 CE) and later expanded for the Bar-Kochba Revolt (132–136 CE), is one of the largest and most elaborate underground complexes in the Galilee. Excavations since 2019 have uncovered tunnels, rooms, and artifacts with the help of students, volunteers, soldiers, and local residents.
Archaeologists said the unexpected discovery highlights both the hardships and resilience of Galilee’s Jewish community under Roman occupation. Soon after the Gallus Revolt, they noted, a grand synagogue designed with mosaics was built on the top of the hill, marking the settlement’s revival.
Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu called the hoard “a living testimony to the determination of the Jews of the Galilee and their struggle to maintain their identity under Roman rule.”
The find will be presented Thursday at the “Between Josephus and Eusebius” conference at Kinneret Academic College. A full scientific report will appear in the upcoming issue of the Israel Numismatic Research Journal.