Rare coin engraved with the name ‘Eleazar the Priest’ found in Judean Desert

Bar Kochba Revolt-era coin discovered along with three others and dated to 132 CE; Israel Antiquities Authority seeks volunteers for 10-day March dig in Judean caves

Gavriel Fiske is a reporter at The Times of Israel

  • A rare 'Eleazar the Priest' coin found in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority
    A rare 'Eleazar the Priest' coin found in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority
  • Four rare Bar Kochba Revolt-era coins found in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority
    Four rare Bar Kochba Revolt-era coins found in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority
  • Rare 'Eleazar the Priest' coin discovered in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Oriya Amichai/Israel Antiquities Authority
    Rare 'Eleazar the Priest' coin discovered in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Oriya Amichai/Israel Antiquities Authority
  • A rare 'Eleazar the Priest' coin found in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority
    A rare 'Eleazar the Priest' coin found in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Emil Aladjem/Israel Antiquities Authority
  • Four rare Bar Kochba Revolt-era coins found in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Oriya Amichai/Israel Antiquities Authority
    Four rare Bar Kochba Revolt-era coins found in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Oriya Amichai/Israel Antiquities Authority
  • Rare 'Eleazar the Priest' coin discovered in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Oriya Amichai/Israel Antiquities Authority
    Rare 'Eleazar the Priest' coin discovered in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Oriya Amichai/Israel Antiquities Authority

A rare coin bearing the name “Eleazar the Priest” and the inscription “Year One of the Redemption of Israel” was discovered about two weeks ago in a Judean Desert cave in the Matzok Hahetekim Nature Reserve, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Monday.

The coin, discovered along with three others from the same era bearing the name “Shimon,” was dated to 132 CE, during the Bar Kochba revolt, a time when the Jewish rebels against Roman rule used the difficult-to-access desert caves as hideouts.

The IAA noted in a press release that the “Eleazar the Priest” inscription could refer to Rabbi Eleazar Hamoda’i, who was a pupil of Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai during the time of Rabbi Akiva.

“It seems that Rabbi Eleazar Hamoda’i played a significant religious role at the time of the Bar Kochba revolt, and he was living in the town of Beitar — the location of the revolt headquarters.

“The Talmud recounts that he died in Beitar, probably during the revolt,” the IAA said.

The coin, which also has engravings of a date palm and grapes, was discovered during the ongoing Judean Desert Cave Survey project, a joint effort by the IAA and several government bodies that seeks to retrieve and document antiquities from the numerous Judean Desert caves before they are taken by looters.

The IAA announced that the next excavation season in the desert caves would begin next week and be open to volunteers willing to stay for more than a week in the desert.

“We invite the public to join us in the seventh excavation season in the desert, to help save the Judean Desert archaeological finds, endangered by antiquities theft,” said Eli Escusido, IAA director.

“The Judean Desert excavations do not cease to amaze us, and we hope that this season too we will be able to report important finds.”

Volunteers at an IAA excavation site in the Judean Desert, in an undated photo. (Yaniv Berman/IAA)

The excavation is set to begin on Monday, March 11, and last for 10 days.

Volunteers, who must be at least 16 years of age and in good health, will be expected to work at a dig site from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will be provided tent housing, meals and other activities.

More information and a link to register (Hebrew) can be found here.

Most Popular
read more: