An ancient coin from the biblical period of the Second Temple was discovered in the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem during conservation work.
About it reports the publication Express.
Archaeologists believe that the coin is the so-called Tyrian shekel used by pilgrims who traveled to the holy Jerusalem temple 2 thousand years ago. As it turned out, the coin was found in the 1980s, but after that it was hidden in an artifact box and placed incorrectly. Now, 40 years later, during the conservation work of the Tower of David Museum in the Old City of Jerusalem, for which $ 40 million was allocated, this coin was again discovered.
Tyrian shekels were minted in the ancient Phoenician city of Tire, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and now the fourth largest city in Lebanon.
They were minted during the Second Temple period – from about 125 BC.
According to Eli Ilan, the museum’s tour guide, the face of a large Phoenician deity is minted on one side of the coin. Experts believe that it is Melkartom – the main god of Tyrus and the main figure in the Phoenician pantheon.
The reverse of the coin depicts an eagle, which helped archaeologists to determine its origin.
“This coin is not from the land of Israel. This is the time of the Second Temple. It was mentioned in the texts of the Talmud as a coin that pilgrims paid for a joint sacrifice, a temple tax in the amount of half a shekel”, – said Mr. Ilan.
Despite the fact that this type of coin is described in the biblical texts, not many have been found.
“This is a very special find that we stumbled upon unexpectedly.”, – added the specialist.
The Second Temple Period describes the time in Jewish history when the Second Temple towered over Jerusalem from the top of the Temple Mount.
This period lasted from about 516 BC. e. and ended in 70 AD. e. destruction of the temple by the hands of the Romans. It was destroyed in retaliation for the First Jewish Uprising, which was the first of three major uprisings against the Roman Empire.
The biblical texts speak of the First Temple, or Solomon’s Temple, which stood in the same place until its destruction by the Babylonians in 587 BC. e.
As you know, large archaeological excavations have never been carried out on the Temple Mount for geopolitical and religious reasons, so there is some uncertainty regarding the biblical narrative.
The portion of the Temple known as the Western Wall is located in the southwest of the Temple Mount. According to Muslim tradition, the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven from the top of the Temple Mount.
This site is one of the holiest sites in the Jewish, Muslim and Christian worlds.
As “Apostrophe” reported, in France, next to the former Benedictine abbey of Cluny in Saone et Loire, archaeologists have discovered a real treasure – more than 2 thousand gold and silver coins and other artifacts.
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