Only about 20 copies of this currency are only known around the world. This discovery that, according to Israel’s antiquities authority, “has a high scientific value,” will be presented to the public during the 26th Research Conference of the City of David.
A gold coin over 2,200 years old, representing the Egyptian Queen Berenice II, was discovered on the excavations of the Givati Parking Park in David City Park in Jerusalem.
The Authority of Antiquities of Israel says, it is the First currency of this type to be found in an organized archaeological context, being known only 20 specimens worldwide.
Dated 246 to 241 BC, during the reign of Ptolemy III, the queen’s husband, the play is a quarter of Dracma coined in almost pure gold (99.3%).
The front of the coin presents the detailed image of Berenice II, with tiara, veil and necklace, while in the back, a Star -flanked cornucopia, a symbol of fertility and prosperity, accompanied by the Greek inscription “Basileisses” (“from the queen”), an indication of the recognition of the sovereign’s own political power.
It is believed that the currency was coined in Alexandria, Egypt, as part of special payments to soldiers involved in the Third Syrian War (246–241 BC).
“I saw something shining on the ground and suddenly realized it was a gold coin. I didn’t believe it immediately and in seconds I was running excitedly,” he said the archaeologist who participated in the excavation Rivka Langler.
The director of the excavation, Yiftah Shalev, stresses that the presence of the currency in Jerusalem offers an unprecedented view of the city during the Hellenistic period.
“So far, it has been thought that Jerusalem after the destruction of the first temple was small and marginal. This coin shows that in the 3rd century BC, the city was being revitalized and kept contacts with political and economic centers of the time,” he explained.
The currency will be shown this month during the 26th Annual Research Conference of the City of David.
Amihai Eliyahu, Israel’s Heritage Minister, stressed that, although the object is small, it has a “extraordinary historical significance” to understand the story of Jerusalem.
