Oct 8, 2024
Remarkable Discovery at the Tower of David: A 2,000-year-old bronze coin featuring King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, known for his role in the Maccabean 3-year long Bar Kokhba Revolt (the Jews vs the Romans in 133-136 AD), has been unearthed within Jerusalem's historic citadel.
Found by chief conservator Orna Cohen during routine maintenance, this coin showcases Antiochus with a crown and a goddess with a scarf on its reverse. This surprising find at a site thought to have been fully excavated reveals a tangible piece of the tumultuous Hasmonean era, linking the Jews, once again, directly to biblical history, and proving their indigenous connection to Judea.