Kid on school trip unearths Second Temple-era coin in West Bank stream
2,000-year-old artifact found in Shilo stream is from the rule of Herod Agrippa, the last king of Judea and grandson of Herod the Great
Michael Bachner is a news editor at The Times of Israel
A boy found a 2,000-year-old coin from the Second Temple-era rule of Herod Agrippa, the last king of Judea, during a hike last week in the northern West Bank.
The rare piece was uncovered in the Shilo stream during a school trip, according to a Sunday statement from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), an Israeli body that administers civilian matters in the West Bank under the Defense Ministry.
The coin features three stalks of grain on one side, and a royal canopy surrounded by an engraving reading “King Agrippa” on the other side.
The student found the coin on the eastern side of the stream — one of the main tributaries of Tel Aviv’s Yarkon River which flows to the Mediterranean Sea — and informed the group’s tour guide, the statement said.
The tour guide then contacted an employee of the Archaeology Unit at COGAT’s Civil Administration, who arrived in the area.
The schoolkid handed him the coin, which will join the Israel Antiquities Authority’s collection of National Treasures.
Herod Agrippa ruled Judea from 41 CE until his death three years later. He was the grandson of Herod the Great and the father of Herod Agrippa II, the last king of the Herodian Dynasty. He ruled the territory to the satisfaction of the Jews, and was hailed at the time as “Agrippa the Great,” according to Josephus.
“This is an exciting finding,” commented Hananya Hizmi, the head staff officer of the Archaeology Unit. “Every archaeological find has a story that gives more details on the history of the Land of Israel and the Jewish people.”
“Findings like this one complete another piece in the historic puzzle of our nation.”
