Image Credits: Numismatic Bibliomania Society
The Jewish-Roman war, known as the Bar Kokhba Revolt, took place in Israel during the second century CE. A recent archeological excavation revealed a treasure trove, near Kiryat Gat. Cloth wrapped, and hidden within a building dating back to the Byzantine and Roman eras, one-hundred and forty gold and silver coins were unearthed. Believed to be hidden there by an affluent woman, the pit in which the treasure was found also contained jewelry, and vessels that held makeup.
Silver and gold coins contained in the cache date from from 54AD to 117AD, the time when the Roman Empire was ruled by Trajan, Nero and Nerva, whose images appear on the coin’s surfaces. Mythological figures and symbols appear on the flip-side of the coins.
Housed in Jerusalem at the Israel Antiquities Authority, the artifacts will undergo analysis by their Artifacts Treatment Department. The Authority began the excavation with funding from the Economic Development Corporation for the Management of the Qiryat Gat Industrial Park (Y.S. Gat Ltd.)
