What’s new: A 2,550-year-old silver coin from the Persian era
An archaeological team under the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) working in the Judean Hills area has uncovered a rare 2,550-year-old silver coin from the Persian Period. The coin provides valuable insight into the trade practices of ancient times. Dr. Robert Kool emphasizes the import of such a find in understanding the evolution of commerce.
Why it matters: Coins like this offer historical evidence
Along with being a rare numismatic object, the silver piece reflects the sophistication of trade connections linked to ancient Israeli territories. It represents the transition from barter economies that weighed out silver for trade to coinage systems. The tactile attributes of the coin, with its square stamp and bipartite division, signify early adaptations to minting practices that foreshadowed modern monetary transactions.
Context: The site’s broader contribution
The discovery occurred during an IAA-funded excavation and comes weeks after another significant find—a building from the First Temple Period. This site has also recently disclosed a shekel weight used to trade precious commodities. The weight, inscribed in hieratic script with the mark of one shekel, aligns with the period’s commercial standards. All these discoveries anchor the extensive grasp and meticulousness of the Kingdom of Judah’s trade approaches and further strengthen the historical narrative of Jerusalem and its surroundings.
Further comments
Moriya Reef, affiliated with Netivei Yisrael’s infrastructure projects, speaks to the necessary collaboration and surprising evidential enrichment due to the ongoing excavations that often accompany construction efforts. IAA director Eli Escuzido reflects on the meaningful insights gleaned from deciphering economic history through a seemingly small object like a coin. He notes it demonstrates the unchanged nature of human economic behaviors over millennia, with changes mainly traceable in technology rather than commerce essence.
Big picture: Connecting currents of past and present
This Persia-era coin symbolizes both the origins of systematic trade and the persistent curiosity of uncovering Israel’s historic backstory. These findings promise to usher in a greater understanding of ancient societies and, coincidentally, spark reflection on the future course of archaeological research in a digitalizing world.
This story was first published on jpost.com.