Gold_Coin_Hoard

 Gold Coin Hoard

Gold_Coin_Hoard_in_situ

 Gold Coin Hoard in situ

A hoard of more than 250 gold coins was exposed on Dec. 21, 2008, in the excavations the Israel Antiquities Authority is conducting in the Givati car park in the City of David, in the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park.

According to Dr. Doron Ben-Ami and Yana Tchekhanovets, directors of the excavation at the site on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “Since no pottery vessel was discovered adjacent to the hoard, we can assume that it was concealed inside a hidden niche in one of the walls of the building. It seems that with its collapse, the coins piled up there among the building debris”. Ben-Ami and Tchekhanovets believe, “This is one of the largest and most impressive coin hoards ever discovered in Jerusalem – certainly the largest and most important of its period. For comparison’s sake, it should be noted that the only hoard of gold coins from the Byzantine period that has been discovered to date in Jerusalem consisted of only five gold coins. All of the coins bear the likeness of the emperor Heraclius (610-641 CE). Different coins were minted during this emperor’s reign; however, all of the coins that were discovered in the City of David in Jerusalem belong to one well-known type in which the likeness of the emperor wearing military garb and holding a cross in his right hand is depicted on the obverse, while the sign of the cross is on the reverse. These coins were minted at the beginning of Heraclius’ reign (between the years 610-613 CE), one year before the Persians conquered Byzantine Jerusalem (614 CE).

Israel Antiquities Authority- A Hoard Comprising Hundreds of Gold Coins was Uncovered

The volunteer responsible for the latest find, Nadine Ross of Birmingham, had been working at the site for the past month and was in the final week of her Israel stay.

“It’s an amazing thing to find. I’ve only been here four weeks,” she said, her hands full of bright yellow coins that appeared to be in mint condition. “To come across this is something I didn’t dream of. I don’t think anyone at home will believe me.”

The Jerusalem Post- British tourist strikes gold in Jerusalem parking lot