The last rebellion: Hoard of coins reveals Lod's ancient history
Excavations in the central Israeli city revealed the remains of a destroyed public building and a stash of money hidden beneath the floor, which no one came back to collect – until now
It was the last stand of the Jews against the Romans.
While many have heard of the Bar Kokhba Rebellion, fewer may be familiar with the Gallus Revolt. But new archaeological findings in the city of Lod are shedding light on the episode of bravery and destruction that occurred approximately 1,650 years ago.
On Sunday, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced its recent findings from an excavation of an ancient Jewish public building dating from the Late Roman to Early Byzantine period that was violently destroyed.
Hidden beneath it was a hoard of 94 bronze and silver coins, dated to 221-354 CE, which appeared to have been purposefully buried there with the intention of being retrieved by their owner once the situation simmered down.
Among the other findings in the structure were impressive stone and marble artifacts and inscriptions in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. One particular inscription bears the name of a Jewish man from a priestly family, which is still being researched.
The inscriptions, plus the fact that there were no pig bones found among the multitude of animal bones uncovered at the site, indicate that the structure was used by the Jewish community. The building may have served as a synagogue, study hall, or meeting hall for community elders, or even all three, according to Professor Joshua Schwartz, Israel Antiquities Authority Council Head. The structure's size, the artifacts within it, and the large coin stash all point to the building's significance as a center of life in ancient Lod.
The site provides evidence of the Gallus Revolt, which was supposedly the last Jewish rebellion against the Romans. Though there is little written evidence about this revolt, there are texts reporting that major Jewish communities such as Lod (known as "Diospolis", the city of Zeus), Zipori and Tiberias were destroyed by the forces of Roman Ceasar Flavius Constantinus Gallus.
The findings are being published in a new book as part of the annual Central Israel Region Archaeological Conference. The conference will be held in the Eretz Yisrael Museum in Tel Aviv and jointly hosted by Tel Aviv University, Bar Ilan University, and the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The site's excavators, Shahar Krispin and Mor Weiss of the Israel Antiquities Authority, described it as a "magnificent Jewish building that housed the city’s elders. From Talmudic writings we know that Lod was a most significant Jewish center in the aftermath of the Second Temple’s destruction in Jerusalem."
They added: "This building, destroyed down to its very foundation, is a clear indication that the revolt was forcefully put down with violence and cruelty, and was not simply a local uprising event, as some earlier studies contended. This is the singular witness, thus far, to the extent and power of this revolt in Lod, located in the country’s center.”
Yair Revivo, the mayor of Lod, celebrated the discovery: "The finds in the area proves that Lod is the one of the oldest cities in the world. We wish to thank the Israel Antiquities Authority for revealing our city’s past glory. I believe that now that it is uncovered, this site will bring many tourists and visitors to the city."