The rare coins from the Hasmonean period were uncovered in an archaeological dig in the Jordan Valley during the Hanukkah holiday, in a complex that was discovered to be an ancient road station near Nahal Tirza
In archaeological excavations currently being conducted in the Jordan Valley, under the auspices of the University of Haifa and led by Dr. Shai Bar from the Zinman Institute of Archeology at the university, Dr. Yoav Farhi and Dr. Michael Azband, a rare Hasmonean hoard of coins was discovered last Friday morning at the time of Hanukkah. .
The treasure that was discovered included about 160 coins, all of them belonging to King Alexander Yanai, whose Hebrew name was Jonathan. Alexander Yanai. He reigned in the years 104-76 BCE. He was the son of Yochanan Hyrcanus, the grandson of Shimon the Hasmonean (brother of Judah the Maccabee), and the great-grandson of Mattathias Miriam Ness. The rebellion against the forces of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The famous revolt, which broke out in 167 BCE, Among other things, it led to the purification of the Temple and the establishment of the Hanukkah holiday in the Jewish tradition. "The site where the treasure was discovered is, apparently, a road station, which was not known in the research until now, which includes a mikveh tarah, a storage pool and other buildings, on the banks of the valley of Nahal Tirzah, on the main road that goes up to the fortress of Sartaba (Alexandrion), which was built by King Yanai," said Dr. Bar.
Year 25 of the reign of Alexander Yanai
According to Dr. Yoav Farhi, treasurer of the Ancient Coin Pavilion at the Eretz Israel Museum, it appears at first glance and before cleaning that all the coins in the hoard are of one type. This type includes on one side an eight-horned star and around it the inscription: "King Alexander Shanet" in Aramaic; while on The reverse of the coin features an anchor and around it the Greek "[Coin] of King Alexander". This type is dated 80/79 AD. In the research, only a few caches of Alexander Yanai are known and especially rare are those discovered in organized archaeological excavations. This cache is also one of the largest of its kind discovered in the Land of Israel.
"All the students and diggers volunteering in the excavation were very excited to find such a Hasmonean cache, and during the Hanukkah holiday, and this added a special meaning to the holiday for them, including the difficult days that are passing through our nation at the present time. I hope that the place will become a site that attracts crowds, and will be added to the archeology and heritage sites of our country." Dr. Barr said
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