Bronze coins from Jewish revolt against Rome Empire discovered near Temple Mount

JERUSALEM, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Bronze coins, the last remnants of a four-year Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire were found near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, sources from the Hebrew University said Monday.

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 1.5-centimeter bronze coins were left behind by Jewish residents who hid in a large cave for four years from the Roman siege of Jerusalem, up until the destruction of the Second Temple and the city of Jerusalem, said the Hebrew University archaeologist.

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), said Mazar.

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 change of the rebels during this period of horror and famine, said 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, said the sources.

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 findings 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.

The coins were well preserved, probably because they were in use for a short time, noted Mazar.

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, said the sources. He conducted the Temple Mount excavations right after Israel's Six Day War, on behalf of Hebrew University's Institute of Archaeology. Enditem