Category: Coins

Just in Time for Passover: Dozens of “Freedom Coins” from Jewish Revolt against Rome (66-70 C.E.) discovered in Cave near Jerusalem Temple Mount

Photo Credit: Eilat Mazar/Hebrew University

Jerusalem, March 26, 2018—Bronze coins, the last remnants of a four-year Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire were found near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. These bronze coins were discovered by Hebrew University archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar during renewed excavations at the Ophel, located below the Temple Mount’s southern wall.

These 1.5cm bronze coins were left behind by Jewish residents who hid in a large cave (7×14 meters) for four years (66-70 C.E.)—from the Roman siege of Jerusalem, up until the destruction of the Second Temple and the city of Jerusalem.

While several of the coins date to the early years of the revolt, the great majority are from its final year, otherwise known as, “Year Four” (69-70 CE).  Significantly, during the final year, the Hebrew inscription on the coins was changed from “For the Freedom of Zion” to “For the Redemption of Zion”, a shift which reflects the changing mood of the rebels during this period of horror and famine.

“A discovery like this—ancient coins bearing the words “Freedom” and “Redemption”—found right before the Jewish Festival of Freedom—Passover—begins is incredibly moving”, shared Dr. Mazar.

In addition to Hebrew inscriptions, the coins were decorated with Jewish symbols, such as the four biblical plant species: palm, myrtle, citron and willow, and a picture of the goblet that was used in the Temple service.

Many broken pottery vessels, including jars and cooking pots, were also found in the cave.  According to Mazar, it is remarkable that this cave was never discovered by subsequent residents of Jerusalem nor used again after the Second Temple period.  In this way the cave acts as a veritable time capsule of life in Jerusalem under the siege and during the four-year revolt against the Roman Empire.

These finds all date back to the time of the rebellion and were found in the Ophel Cave directly above a Hasmonean Period layer that was situated at the base of the cave.  A more complete report of these findings will be published in the third volume of the Ophel excavations; the second is being published this week.

According to Mazar, the coins were well preserved, probably because they were in use for such a short time.  A similar number of “Year Four” coins were found near Robinson’s Arch, near the Western Wall, by Professor Benjamin Mazar, Eilat Mazar’s grandfather.  He conducted the Temple Mount excavations right after Israel’s Six Day War, on behalf of Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology.

The Ophel excavations are situated within the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park, which is managed by the National Parks and Gardens Authority and the Eastern Jerusalem Development Company. Funding was generously provided by the Herbert W. Armstrong College of Edmond, Oklahoma, whose students participate in the digs.

 SOURCE: News release from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, 26 March 2018.

The coin that appears in the famous incident when Jesus is challenged about paying taxes to the Roman authorities (Mark 12:13–17) has attracted considerable attention from both biblical scholars and numismatists.

CCCRH researcher, Dr Peter Lewis, has considered this episode over many years, and the latest version of his paper on “The Denarius in Mark 12:15” is now available on the CCCRH web site.

>>> Read the full essay online..

CCCRH is pleased to publish online, The Cathedral Coins: A History of Christianity in Coins, a richly illustrated guide to the Cathedral Coin Collection at St John’s Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane.

Hard copies of the booklet are available for purchase at the Cathedral Shop, but Dean Peter Catt has given CCCRH permission to make the material available online.

The coin collection of St John’s Anglican Cathedral in Ann Street, Brisbane features coins relevant to biblical studies and church history. A selection of the coins is displayed in a secure cabinet behind the choir stalls on the southern side of the Cathedral.

You can download the booklet-web from the CCCRH web site as a PDF.

After years of discussion and development work, a new interface for Online Coins of the Roman Empire that will aid in the identification of Roman imperial coins by non-specialists (archaeologists and collectors alike). The developers hope that this will be especially useful for badly worn coins discovered in archaeological excavation. Like the rest of OCRE and other ANS web projects, this interface is responsive to devices of various sizes, making it ideal for use on mobile phones and tablets in the field.

The collection of coin research papers available via the Centre for Coins, Culture and Religious History  web site has expanded considerably in the last few days.

Almost 50 articles written by CCCRH Researcher, Dr Peter E. Lewis, for publication in The Australasian Coin & Banknote Magazine have now been added to the CCCRH site.

Additional articles will be added in the future, as the editor of the magazine has agreed for CCCRH to publish all of Dr Lewis’ work on our site.

Because of the number of articles involved and their original publication in The Australasian Coin & Banknote Magazine, we have created a dedicated page for these research articles that range across a diverse array of topics.

We appreciate the support of The Australasian Coin & Banknote Magazine as we develop this new project, and we are glad to make Peter’s original research available to a wider audience in this way.