In Jerusalem, girl discovers rare 2,000-year-old silver coin from Great Revolt period

On Tuesday, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced that an 11-year-old girl has found a rare 2,000-year-old silver coin near Jerusalem. It claimed that the coin was most likely minted by a priest who joined the Jewish rebels in the revolt against the Romans just before the Temple was destroyed, reported The Jerusalem Post. Dr Robert Kool, Head of the Coin Department at the IAA, termed this as a rare find stating that only 30 coins have been found of silver out of thousands discovered to date since the period of the Great Revolt. The coin is 14 grams in weight and is made of pure silver.

11-year-old girl finds 'Holy Jerusalem' silver coin 

On one side of the coin, there's a cup with the words 'Israeli shekel' and 'second year' inscribed. The 'second year' is referring to the revolt's second year (67-68 CE). Meanwhile, the other side of the coin has 'Holy Jerusalem' inscribed in ancient Hebrew writing. It is accompanied by another term that experts believe alludes to the High Priest's headquarters in the Temple, reported the outlet. According to Dr Kool, huge silver stockpiles were kept in the Temple and the silver to mint the coin possibly came from such reserves. "If that's the case, we can state with caution that this coin is one of the few objects we have today that came from the Temple itself," he added.

Sifting through the dirt excavated in the Pilgrimage Road, 11-year-old girl Liel Krutokop, a participant in the Emek Tzurim Sifting Project, discovered the coin. "When I arrived in Emek Tzurim, I assumed there would be simple coins in the buckets, but I did not expect to discover a coin, let alone one made of pure silver," she was quoted as saying by the outlet. Krutokop further said that she was fortunate to find it and also thanked her sister for the bucket from which they sifted. "I am not sure I would have found the coin if my sister hadn't chosen this particular bucket," she added. 

Israeli archaeologists discover rare 2,700-year-old toilet in Jerusalem

It should be mentioned here that last month, Israeli archaeologists discovered a unique old toilet going back almost 2,700 years when such facilities of privacy were a luxury in the holy city of Jerusalem. The smooth, carved limestone toilet was discovered in a rectangular cottage that was part of a huge mansion overlooking what is now the Old City, stated the Israeli Antiquities Authority, as reported by The Associated Press (AP). It was built with a deep septic tank sunk underground for comfortable sitting. 

(Image: Twitter/@Israel Antiquities Authority)