Israel is in the news for all manner of things these days, mainly stuff about bombing Gaza and killing countless civilians. However, let's put that aside for a bit and talk about the finding of a money box and Jewish coins that are around 2,000 years old.
According to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the coins were found near the Tel Aviv Highway near Jerusalem.
"The hoard, which appears to have been buried several months prior to the fall of Jerusalem, provides us with a glimpse into the lives of Jews living on the outskirts of Jerusalem at the end of the rebellion," said IAA excavation directors Pablo Betzer and Eyal Marco in a press release.
Inside a ceramic box that was found buried, researchers found 114 bronze coins which date back to the fourth year of the great revolt by the Jews against the Roman Empire. This was also before the complete destruction of King Herod's temple back in 70 AD.
All 114 coins have with the words "To the redemption of Zion" in the Hebrew language written on the side. In addition, one side reads "Year Four" in Hebrew, which proves these coins were created during the great revolt.
It is not certain how ceramic box with coins found its way to this particular location, but speculation is rife. As per Pablo Betzer, one of the directors of the Israel antiquities Authority, it is likely that a man hid is money box at this location after seeing the advancement of the Roman army. He was likely not sure of the outcome, so he chose to put his belongings in a safe place until things calmed down.
"Evidently, someone here feared that the end was approaching - perhaps he could see the advancing Roman army and did not want to take a chance," Betzer said.
If such is the case, then chances are this person probably died during the conflict, or might have forgotten exactly where he hid his coins. Who knows, maybe he was forced to never return to this place, and had to live out the rest of his life mourning over these 114 bronze coins.
