Archaeology

Jerusalem’s Western Wall yields four 1,000-year-old gold coins

Jerusalem’s Western Wall yields four 1,000-year-old gold coins

Four gold coins were recently found in a pottery jar uncovered during an excavation in West Wall Plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The valuable 1000-year-old coins show the political and historic power change between the two Muslim dynasties that controlled the city at the time.

A little juglet or bottle was discovered about two months ago by inspector Yevgenia Kapil of the Israel Antiquity Authority about two months ago, during preliminary digging as part of a plan by the Jewish Quarter Development Corporation to build an elevator facilitating access to the plaza from the Jewish Quarter.

The four gold coins were discovered in mint condition, stashed away with soil inside a juglet.

Last month, archaeologist David Gellman, director of the excavation, emptied out the dirt inside the juglet and discovered four gold coins in excellent condition.

Robert Kool, the antiquities authority’s coin expert, examined them and determined that they dated from the late 940s through 970s C.E., the early Islamist era.

Two of the coins are gold dinars that were minted in Ramle under the rule of the Caliph Al-Muti’ (946-974) and his regional governor, Abu ‛Ali al-Qasim ibn al-Ihshid Unujur (946-961 C.E.).

The other two coins were minted in Cairo by the Fatimid rulers al-Mu‘izz (953-975 C.E.) and his successor, al-‘Aziz (975-996 C.E.).

Excavation director David Gellman of the antiquities authority pointing to the place where the juglet with the coins was found, opposite the Western Wall Plaza.

“The profile of the coins found in the juglet is a near-perfect reflection of the historical events.

This was a time of radical political change, when control over Eretz Israel passed from the Sunni Abbasid caliphate, whose capital was Baghdad, Iraq, into the hands of its Shiite rivals – the Fatimid dynasty of North Africa,” Dr Kool explains.

Dr. Robert Cool of the antiquities authority examining the coins found in the Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem. They date from the late 940s to the 970s C.E.

“Four dinars was a considerable sum of money for most of the population, who lived under difficult conditions at the time.

It was equal to the monthly salary of a minor official, or four months’ salary for a common labourer,” he says, adding that for members of the elite in those days, however, it was a relatively small sum.

“The small handful of wealthy officials and merchants in the city earned huge salaries and amassed vast wealth.

A senior treasury official could earn 7,000 gold dinars a month, and also receive additional incomes from his rural estates amounting to hundreds of thousands of gold dinars a year.”

Related Posts

A Remarkable Discovery from a Gaza Shipwreck: Olive Pits from 1100 Years Ago

A Remarkable Discovery from a Gaza Shipwreck: Olive Pits from 1100 Years Ago

A Remarkable Discovery from a Gaza Shipwreck: Olive Pits from 1100 Years Ago The recent underwater excavations off the coast of Türkiye have unveiled an extraordinary find that has captivated scientists: olive pits from a shipwreck that sank 1100 years ago. This vessel, which set sail from the Gaza coast of Palestine, was caught in a storm … Continue reading A Remarkable Discovery from a Gaza Shipwreck: Olive Pits from 1100 Years Ago

Archaeologists Uncover Asini’s Hidden Ancient Port Beneath the Waves of Greece

Archaeologists Uncover Asini’s Hidden Ancient Port Beneath the Waves of Greece

Archaeologists Uncover Asini’s Hidden Ancient Port Beneath the Waves of Greece An international team of underwater archaeologists has made a groundbreaking discovery at the submerged site of Asini, near  Tolo in Argolis, Greece, unearthing significant remnants of an ancient port infrastructure that promises to reshape our understanding of Mediterranean maritime history. This research is part of … Continue reading Archaeologists Uncover Asini’s Hidden Ancient Port Beneath the Waves of Greece

Burial of Ascetic Monk in Chains Reveals Surprising Identity: A Woman in Byzantine Jerusalem

Burial of Ascetic Monk in Chains Reveals Surprising Identity: A Woman in Byzantine Jerusalem

Burial of Ascetic Monk in Chains Reveals Surprising Identity: A Woman in Byzantine Jerusalem A recent archaeological discovery near Jerusalem has challenged long-held beliefs about ascetic practices in the Byzantine era, revealing the remains of a woman in a burial typically associated with male ascetics, thus prompting a reevaluation of women’s roles in extreme religious … Continue reading Burial of Ascetic Monk in Chains Reveals Surprising Identity: A Woman in Byzantine Jerusalem

Woodhenge Found in Denmark: A Link Between Denmark and Britain’s Neolithic Past

Woodhenge Found in Denmark: A Link Between Denmark and Britain’s Neolithic Past

Woodhenge Found in Denmark: A Link Between Denmark and Britain’s Neolithic Past In a stunning revelation, archaeologists have unearthed a remarkable structure dubbed “woodhenge” in Denmark, a discovery that not only illuminates the ancient practices of Neolithic societies but also invites us to reconsider the interconnectedness of prehistoric cultures across Europe. In a remarkable archaeological … Continue reading Woodhenge Found in Denmark: A Link Between Denmark and Britain’s Neolithic Past

9,000-Year-Old Rock Art Suggests Early Humans Interacted with Dinosaur Footprints

9,000-Year-Old Rock Art Suggests Early Humans Interacted with Dinosaur Footprints

9,000-Year-Old Rock Art Suggests Early Humans Interacted with Dinosaur Footprints In Brazil, researchers have made an extraordinary discovery of ancient rock art dating back over 9,000 years, found alongside dinosaur footprints from the Cretaceous Period, approximately 66 million years ago. This significant find took place in Serrote do Letreiro, located in the Sousa Basin. Led … Continue reading 9,000-Year-Old Rock Art Suggests Early Humans Interacted with Dinosaur Footprints

The Colchester Vase: New Analyses Uncover Evidence of Gladiatorial Combat in Roman Britannia

The Colchester Vase: New Analyses Uncover Evidence of Gladiatorial Combat in Roman Britannia

The Colchester Vase: New Analyses Uncover Evidence of Gladiatorial Combat in Roman Britannia The Colchester Vase, dating back to A.D. 160–200, is not just a ceramic artifact; it is considered a unique graphic and epigraphic testimony to the existence of gladiatorial combats in the Roman city of  Camulodunum, now known as Colchester, illuminating the cultural and … Continue reading The Colchester Vase: New Analyses Uncover Evidence of Gladiatorial Combat in Roman Britannia

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *