A hoard of 44 gold coins about 1,400 years old was discovered in Banias

The treasure dated to the 7th century AD was discovered at the Banyas site at the foot of the Golan, and was buried in a wall built of limestone.

"Whoever buried the coins inside a wall probably performed a miracle on his soul in the hope of returning and collecting his property, but he was not successful," says the treasure researcher

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03/10/2022

Monday, 03 October 2022, 09:01 Updated: 09:06

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44 ancient gold coins were discovered in Banias (photo: Yaniv Berman, Israel Antiquities Authority)

A cache of 44 pure gold coins was recently discovered at the Banias site within the Nahal Hermon Nature Reserve, in an excavation by the Antiquities Authority, which is currently being managed with funding from the Electric Company.

The excavation is being conducted in preparation for connecting the Makam Nabi Khader site, sacred to the Druze, to the electricity grid.

Dr. Gabriela Bichovski, a coin expert at the Antiquities Authority who examined the hoard, determined that there are several coins of the Emperor Phocas (602-610 AD) and many coins minted by the Emperor Heraclius (610-641 AD), all of the coins are about Solidus - The most common coin in the Roman Empire. The latest coins of Heraclius, date the hoard to the days of the Arab occupation.

A coin bearing the image of the Byzantine emperor Phokas (Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Dafna Gazit)

"Most of the coins are of Emperor Heraclius."

Bichovski examines the coins from Banias (Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Yaniv Berman)

All the coins are about a solidus - the most common coin in the Roman Empire (photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Dafna Gazit)

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On the coins: the emperor and his family members

According to Dr. Yoav Lerer, the director of the excavation on behalf of the Antiquities Authority, "the treasure, which weighs about 170 grams, was buried at the base of a wall built of gasite stones, during the conquest of Israel by the Muslim caliphs from the Umayyad House. The find provides us with a picture of a moment At a time when one can literally imagine a person hiding his fortune from the fear of war, and this - in the hope of returning and collecting his property. Today we know that his fate did not favor him."

Lehrer adds that "finding the treasure could shed light on the economy of the town of Nias in the last 40 years of Byzantine control of the city."

"Most of the coins in the hoard belong to the Byzantine emperor Heraclius," adds Dr. Bichovski, and what is particularly interesting about them is that at the beginning of the emperor's career, you only see his portrait on the coin, but very quickly, the portraits of his family members join him. You can really see the growth process of his sons on the coins, from childhood - until they appear on the coin when they are the same height as their father the emperor,

The excavation, which was carried out in the northwestern residential quarter of the ancient city of Nias, revealed the remains of buildings, canals and pipes for transporting water, a furnace for making ceramic vessels, and many small finds, including fragments of pottery, glass, metals and bronze coins.

These date from the end of the Byzantine period (the beginning of the 7th century AD about 1380 years ago), and the early Middle Ages (the 11th-13th centuries AD - about 800 years ago).

More in Walla!

Students found a rare 1600-year-old gold coin in the Galilee

To the full article

The coins were joined by portraits of members of the emperor's family (photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Dafna Gazit)

On the coin - the image of Emperor Heraclius and his son (photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Dafna Gazit)

The weight of the treasure is about 170 grams (Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Dafna Gazit)

Banias - a place of worship for the god "Pan"

The Banias is an archaeological site - now a nature reserve under the management of the Nature and Parks Authority, where a settlement existed during different periods: first, the Canaanites established a settlement there with a temple to the god Baal in the center.

In the Hellenistic period, the place was used as a place of worship for the god "Pan" - (hence the name Panias, which over time was mistaken for Banias).

The settlement reached its peak during the Roman period.

Herod, and following him - Philip his son, rebuilt the place, and called it "Caesarea - Philippi", in honor of Augustus Caesar.

In Christianity, Banias became famous for being the place where Jesus gave Peter, the chief of the apostles, the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

During the Crusader period, the Crusaders tried, in 1129, to fortify the city, in order for it to be used as their starting point for the conquest of Damascus, but this was a short period that ended quickly, because the Muslim forces captured the city in 1132.

A water fountain uncovered at the Banias site (Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Yaniv Berman)

Raya Shurki, CEO of the Nature and Parks Authority: The Banias Nature Reserve, for its beautiful and unique natural values ​​and landscape, never ceases to surprise in terms of its heritage values ​​as well. The discovery of the gold hoard coincides with the recent discovery of a Byzantine church in Banias, which is, perhaps, the church of St. Peter's. The church, which was damaged by an earthquake that hit the north of the country, will soon also be shown as part of public visits to the reserve. In the meantime, the remains of a mosaic floor and a carved stone on which many signs of the cross were engraved, indicating that the Banias became a pilgrimage site, were uncovered.

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• The Banias stream

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