A rare hoard of 22 copper coins dating back more than 1,600 years has been uncovered in a hidden underground complex in the Lower Galilee, offering a tangible link to the region's Jewish history under Roman rule, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Thursday.

The coins were unearthed in Hukok, an ancient Jewish settlement near the Sea of Galilee associated with Jewish resistance under Roman rule.

"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 Roman rule," said Israeli Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu. "Finds of this type connect us directly to the lives of our ancestors and remind us of the depth of our historical roots here."

The coins were found in a pit at the end of a narrow winding tunnel within the Hukok hiding complex, one of the largest and most intricate underground networks in the Galilee. Originally carved during the Great Revolt of 66-70 CE and expanded for the Bar-Kochba Revolt of 132-136 CE, the tunnels were expected to yield artifacts from those periods. Instead, the coins bore the images of Emperors Constantius II and Constans I, dating them to the 4th century CE, during the lesser-known Gallus Revolt of 351-352 CE-the last Jewish rebellion under Roman rule.

The coin hoard will be presented for the first time this week at a conference hosted by Kinneret Academic College. A study of the findings is due to be published in the Israel Numismatic Research Journal.

To read the complete article, see:
Galilee cave yields 4th-century coin hoard tied to Jewish resistance under Rome(https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-867877)

At the end of July 2025 a metal detector beeped wildly in Susita National Park, near the Sea of Galilee. Operator Eddie Lipsman, working with the University of Haifa expedition, moved the soil near a large stone and saw gold coins flash in the cut. "The detector went crazy; I couldn't believe it-gold coins began to be exposed one after another," said Lipsman. The team soon uncovered a hoard.

Researchers collected 97 gold coins and fragments of earrings set with pearls, semi-precious stones, and glass. The coins spanned the reigns of Justin I (518-527 CE) to the opening years of Heraclius (610-613 CE), placing them roughly 1,400 to 1,500 years old. Solidus pieces, halves (semissis), and thirds (trachy) were present, and the dig marked the first time such a hoard had been recovered in the city.

To read the complete article, see:
'The detector went crazy': Hoard found in Byzantine Christian center near Sea of Galilee(https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-detector-went-crazy-hoard-found-in-byzantine-christian-center-near-sea-of-galilee/ar-AA1NglcI)

Archaeologists near the Sea of Galilee have discovered a rare, nearly 1,400-year-old hoard of gold coins and jewelry dating to the Byzantine era.

The hoard contained 97 pure gold coins and dozens of jewelry pieces, including earrings inlaid with pearls, semi-precious stones and glass. A team found the treasure while investigating the ancient city of Hippos (also known as Sussita), which is on the slopes of the Golan Heights.

"It is among the five largest gold hoards of that period found in the region," Michael Eisenberg, an archaeologist at the University of Haifa and co-director of the excavation, told Live Science in an email. "The addition of jewelry pieces and small currency makes it more interesting and numismatically important. It's the first of its kind in Hippos so far."

To read the complete article, see:
'Gold coins started appearing one after another': 1,400-year-old hoard with money and jewelry unearthed near Sea of Galilee(https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/gold-coins-started-appearing-one-after-another-1-400-year-old-hoard-with-money-and-jewelry-unearthed-near-sea-of-galilee)