A coin from the Bar Kochba revolt was found recently during an archaeological dig in Murabba'at caves in the Nahal Darga Reserve in the Judean Desert, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Thursday.
The coin, dated to the second year of the revolt (133 AD), features a date tree on one side with the name "Shimon" on it. Shimon Bar Kochba was the leader of the revolt.
The other side of the coin features a vine lead with the inscription: "Year 2 of the liberation of Israel."
The coins were minted by Bar Kochba by using Roman coins that were erased and re-struck.
Additional important finds discovered in the caves
"This is not the only find found in the current excavation, which can be attributed to the Jewish rebels," says the director of the excavation, Amir Ganor from the Antiquities Authority. "During the operation, remnants of unique textiles and fabrics in a variety of colors were uncovered, among which a light blue thread stood out inside a light-colored fabric. It is possible that this fabric was used as part of an ancient tallit from about 2,000 years ago."
Strips of processed leather, similar to those used for tefillin.
Additional important and valuable finds from other historical periods were discovered in the caves as well.
In 1951, a bunch of papyri belonging to Bar Kochba's archive was discovered in this cave, including the full name of the leader, Shimon Bar Kochba.
Archaeologists are continuing excavations in hopes of confirming if the cave was used as Bar Kochba's headquarters in the Judean Desert.