A rare coin depicting Queen Berenice II of Egypt that dates back to Jerusalem’s Hellenistic era was discovered in the City of David, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Wednesday. Made of pure gold, the tiny artifact was minted some 2,200 years ago during the reign of Ptolemy III, when Jerusalem fell under Greek rule. The artifact was uncovered during soil sifting in the Givati Parking Lot excavation in the City of David National Park. The discovery marked the first time such a coin has been dug up outside of Egypt, which served as the center of Ptolemaic rule.
“Only about 20 such coins are known, and this is the first ever uncovered in a controlled archaeological excavation, making it a find of extraordinary scientific importance,” said IAA’s Robert Kool and the Israel Museum’s Haim Gitler, experts in ancient currency. The coin bears a portrait of the Greek ruler’s wife and co-regent, Berenice II, adorned with a diadem, veil and necklace. On the flip side of the golden drachma is a cornucopia, signifying prosperity and fertility, flanked by two stars.
Along the coin’s perimeter is the Greek inscription “of Queen Berenice,” which researchers believe indicates her exceptional power and influence, rare for female royalty of the period. Excavation director Yiftah Shalev said the discovery posed a direct challenge to the prevailing scholarly view of Jerusalem as a poor, provincial town in wake of the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE.
“Jerusalem seems to have begun recovering already during the Persian period and grew stronger under Ptolemaic rule,” said Shalev, who contended that the urban center was not “desolate and isolated, but rather a city in the process of renewal, reestablishing ties with the dominant political, economic and cultural centers of the period.”
The coin was minted in Alexandria, Egypt, and likely paid as a reward to Egyptian soldiers upon their return south, after battling the Seleucid Kingdom during the Third Syrian War, researchers said. Jerusalem was later captured by the Seleucids under Antiochus III around 200 BCE.
Rivka Langler, an excavator at the site, stumbled upon the coin while sifting the excavation soil.
“Suddenly I saw something shiny. I picked it up and realized it was a gold coin. At first, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but within seconds I was running excitedly through the excavation site,” she recounted. “I’ve been excavating in the City of David for two years, and this is the first time I’ve found gold.”
“The rare coin from the City of David may be a small find, but it carries great significance for understanding Jerusalem,” said Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu.
The rare coin will be displayed to the public in early September as part of the City of David Research Conference, said the IAA in a statement.
Original Article – Rare gold coin depicting Hellenic queen unearthed in Jerusalem dig | The Times of Israel
