Galilee Cave Hoard Ties 4th-Century Coins to Last Jewish Revolt Under Rome
Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Zefat Academic College said this week they uncovered a stash of 22 copper coins in a crevice at the end of a winding tunnel beneath the ruins of Hukok, a Lower Galilee site being readied for the public with Keren Kayemet LeYisrael–Jewish National Fund. The cache—minted under Emperors Constantius II and Constans I—was found inside a purpose-dug pit in an underground hiding complex first carved during the Great Revolt and expanded before the Bar-Kokhba Revolt, but apparently reused during the later Gallus Revolt (351–352 CE). “This shows that hundreds of years after these tunnels were dug out, they were reused,” said researchers Uri Berger and Prof. Yinon Shivtiel.
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Teams located the coins while excavating the large, maze-like system of rooms and crawlways that once sheltered residents and resistance activity. The find will debut at the “Between Josephus and Eusebius” conference at Kinneret Academic College. Officials framed the discovery as both scholarship and public engagement: “Fortunately, it was the many volunteers excavating the hiding complex who actually uncovered this important treasure, and they enjoyed this great moment of the joy and the excitement of discovery,” said Dr. Einat Ambar-Armon of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Jerusalem also weighed in. According to Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichay Eliyahu, “The discovery of the rare hoard of coins in the Hukok hiding complex is a living testimony to the determination of the Jews of the Galilee and their ongoing struggle to maintain their identity and traditional Jewish lifestyle even in difficult times under the Roman rule.” The authority plans to develop Hukok as a visitor destination; the first scientific publication will appear in Israel Numismatic Research.
