4 April 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists Unearthed a Rare Hoard of Hasmonean Coins in Jordan Valley

A team of archaeologists from the University of Haifa discovered a rare hoard of approximately 160 coins during an excavation in the Jordan Valley, dating back to the Hasmonean period (the reign of Alexander Yannai (104-76 BCE)).

The discovery was made by a University of Haifa team led by Dr. Shay Bar and Dr. Yoav Farhi from the Zinman Institute of Archaeology.

The rare coins from the Hasmonean period were uncovered in an archaeological dig in the Jordan Valley in what is thought to have been a roadside station, on what was then a main road along Nahal Tirzah that ascended to the Alexandrion Fortress, also known as Sarbata, north of Jericho in what is now the West Bank.

The treasure that was discovered included about 160 coins, all of them belonging to King Alexander Yanai, whose Hebrew name was Jonathan. Alexander Yanai. He reigned in the years 104-76 BCE. He was the son of Yochanan Hyrcanus, the grandson of Shimon the Hasmonean (brother of Judah the Maccabee), and the great-grandson of Mattathias Miriam Ness—the rebellion against the forces of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The famous revolt, which broke out in 167 BCE, Among other things, it led to the purification of the Temple and the establishment of the Hanukkah holiday in the Jewish tradition.

Coins of Alexander Yanai. Photo: Haifa University
Coins of Alexander Yanai. Photo: Haifa University

The coins, all minted in 80/79 BCE during the 25th year of Yannai’s reign, bear distinctive markings. Each features an eight-pointed star with Aramaic text reading “King Alexander Year 25” on one side, while the reverse displays an anchor surrounded by Greek text identifying it as “[coin] of King Alexander.”

In archaeological research, such extensive coin collections are uncommon. According to Dr. Bar, the coins were probably concealed behind or inside a wall and wrapped in a leather sack or other organic material that eventually decomposed.

The discovery site revealed more than just the coin cache. Archaeologists found a previously unknown road station along the route to Herodium fortress (Alexandrium), complete with a ritual bath (mikveh), water reservoir, and several other structures along the Tirzah Valley banks.

“It is really a rare moment to discover so many coins,” Dr. Bar stated. He added that these findings indicate the important role of this place. The fortress, which overlooks the Jordan Valley, was razed at some point during the Jewish Revolt against Rome (66–74 CE).

As part of Israel’s archaeological heritage sites, the University of Haifa team intends to develop the site for public access, offering a concrete link to this important era in Jewish history.

University of Haifa

Cover Image Credit: Some of a cache of newly discovered Maccabi-era coins. Credit: Dr. Shai Bar/Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa

Related Articles

A pendant with a figure of St. Nicholas found in the Ancient Church Hidden in Turkish Lake

7 October 2022

7 October 2022

Underwater archaeological excavations and research, which were started 8 years ago in the basilica located 20 meters off the lake...

Little Known Powerful Kingdom of History’s “Mitanni Kingdom”

3 February 2021

3 February 2021

Hurrians; They became a state organization with a warrior and ruling class of Indo-Aryan origin who came from North-West Mesopotamia...

Rare gold gifts 2300 years old discovered in the famous Phoenician city of Carthage

17 August 2023

17 August 2023

Archaeologists excavating the sanctuary of Tophet, Carthage uncovered a collection of offerings, Tunisia’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs announced in a...

The Oldest Evidence of Stone Blade Production in Southern Arabia: 80,000-Year-Old Stone Blades Discovered

21 February 2025

21 February 2025

An international team of researchers led by Knut Bretzke of Friedrich Schiller University Jena uncovered 80,000-year-old stone blades at the...

The excavations in ancient city of Aizanoi discovered the statue heads of Dionysus and Aphrodite

11 December 2023

11 December 2023

The heads of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, and Dionysus, the god of wine, were found in Aizanoi,...

An Amazing Discovery in the 1900-year-old Rock Church, – Sand Dollar Fossil

5 March 2024

5 March 2024

Located in the eastern province of Diyarbakır’s Eğil district, the rock church, the walls of which are decorated with different...

Do Byzantine coins Record the Supernova of 1054?

25 June 2022

25 June 2022

SN 1054 was one of the most spectacular astronomical events of all time. The supernova explosion eventually formed what is...

27,000-year-old Pendants made from giant sloths suggest earlier arrival of people in the Americas

16 July 2023

16 July 2023

Archaeologists discovered three pendants made from the bony material of an extinct giant sloth in a rock shelter in central...

Mine-clearance divers discovered an ancient shipwreck dating from the 3rd century BC

25 June 2023

25 June 2023

As a result of collaborative training exercises between Croatian and Italian naval mine-clearance divers, one of the earliest fully preserved...

The 2800-year-old Urartians Lake, which is an engineering masterpiece of its time, is drying

13 July 2023

13 July 2023

Keşiş Lake in Van, in eastern Turkey, which was built by the Urartu King Rusa 2,800 years ago, was negatively...

The DNA of 4000-years-old hazelnut shells found in Kültepe

11 November 2023

11 November 2023

Excavations conducted ten years ago at the archaeological site of Kültepe Kanesh Karum, which dates back 6,000 years and is...

409 silver coins, found in the Mleiha area of Sharjah, were inspired by Alexander the Great and the Seleucid dynasty

17 July 2021

17 July 2021

409 silver coins dating to the 3rd century have been found in the Mleiha area of Sharjah in the United...

In a Wisconsin lake, archaeologists discover a 1,200-year-old dugout canoe

6 November 2021

6 November 2021

Maritime archaeologists from the Wisconsin Historical Society have discovered a dugout wooden canoe in Lake Mendota, Wisconsin, USA. Carbon analysis...

Excavation in Larissa finds a Hellenistic era sanctuary

27 November 2021

27 November 2021

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sport reported on Friday the discovery of ancient Greek and Hellenistic era structures at...

Twin temples linked to Hercules and Alexander the Great discovered in Sumerian city of Girsu

29 January 2024

29 January 2024

Archaeologists discovered two temples, with one buried over the other, during excavations at Girsu, a Sumerian city in southeastern Iraq...