Volume 20 2025
Contents
3 Yigal Ronen Obituary
5 Yinon Horesh, Mati Johananoff, Oren Tal, Haim Gitler, Noa Shatil, Sabine Kleiman, Manfred Oeming and Oded Lipschits: Coinage at the Crossroads: A Numismatic Profile of Tel ‘Azeqah from the Persian, Macedonian and Ptolemaic Periods
41 Mati Johananoff: Reconsidering the Fourth Century BCE Fractional Silver Coinage of Syrian Manbog (Hierapolis-Bambyke)
57 Charles Catlett: New Interpretations of an Unusual Samarian Hemiobol
67 Avraham S. Tendler and Shahar Krispin: Three Coin Hoards from Ḥorbat Ashun and Their Archeological and Historical Context
85 Dvir Raviv: A Numismatic Survey at Ḥorbat Bet Zekharya and Possible Evidence for the Fifth Battle of Judah Maccabi
119 Haim Shaham: The Missing Coins of Queen Shelamẓion
145 Dvir Raviv and Yanniv D. Levy: The Geographical Distribution of Mattatya (Mattathias) Antigonos’ Coins: New Insights from Recent Discoveries
181 Haim Shkolnik and Tal Orenshtein: The Coins from the Mevo’ot Yeriḥo Aqueduct: An Early Roman Foundation Deposit
191 Itamar Taxel and Gabriela Bijovsky : A Bar Kokhba Coin from Khirbat ed-Duheisha, near Yavne: Evidence for the Second Jewish Revolt on the Southern Coast?
199 Achim Lichtenberger: Sepphoris and Trajan: Diokaisareia iera, asylos, autonomos
211 Yoav Farhi and Ronen Bachar: The Crab of Iulia Domna from Nysa-Skythopolis
219 Yoav Farhi and Alexander Kaplun: Roman Provincial Tetradrachms of Askalon Bearing a Civic Era Date
233 Yinon Shivtiel, Nili Ahipaz, Dror Barshad and Uri Berger: Two Coin Hoards from Hiding Complexes in Galilee and the Question of Their Association with the Gallus Revolt
259 Mikhail G. Abramzon, Vladimir D. Kuznetsov, and Sergey N. Ostapenko: More Coins from the Jewish Compound at Phanagoria: Focus on the Purses and Isolated Coins beyond the Prayer Hall
281 Nikolaus Schindel: The Date of Heraclius’ Jerusalem Folles
287 Nikolaus Schindel: Early Islamic Copper Coins from Southern Bilad ash-Sham: An Overview
311 Roy Marom and Nitzan Amitai-Preiss: Early Islamic Rural Administration and Toponymy in Kūrat Qaysārīyah: New Evidence of Umayyad Lead Bullae
323 François-Xavier Fauvelle, Robert Kool, and Issa Baidoun: Minting Gold at Zawīlah: A Case for Zawīlah Ibn Khaṭṭāb in Libya
337 Oren Tal: Levantine Coinages Online: A New Research Tool for Southern Levantine Coinage
Abstracts
5 Yinon Horesh, Mati Johananoff, Oren Tal, Haim Gitler, Noa Shatil, Sabine Kleiman, Manfred Oeming and Oded Lipschits: Coinage at the Crossroads: A Numismatic Profile of Tel ‘Azeqah from the Persian, Macedonian and Ptolemaic Periods. This paper presents an assemblage of 74 foreign and locally minted coins from Tel ‘Azeqah, dating from the Persian to the Ptolemaic periods. It includes Athenian, Sidonian, Philistian, Judean and Edomite issues, Macedonian-period coins, Babylonian fractions and Ptolemaic coins. These finds reflect distinct stages in the local monetization process and patterns of monetary circulation in the Judean foothills, a region bridging coastal and inland economic zones. Located at the crossroads of the provincial administrative regions of Judah, Philistia and Edom, ‘Azeqah serves as a point of convergence for diverse currencies, offering insights into broader economic transformations in the southern Levant.
41 Mati Johananoff: Reconsidering the Fourth Century BCE Fractional Silver Coinage of Syrian Manbog (Hierapolis-Bambyke).The north Syrian mint of Manbog is best known for its didrachms, predominantly featuring cultic imagery associated with the city’s renowned temple. While 59 such didrachms are known, only two fractional silver coins have been securely identified to date. Whereas previous studies have focused on the mint’s larger denominations, this paper draws on typological, iconographic, and epigraphic evidence to expand the known corpus of Manbog’s small change. Based on the distinctive and recurring U-shaped symbol, the study suggests that Manbog employed a more flexible denominational system than previously recognized, prompting a reassessment of its monetary output in the late Persian and early Macedonian periods.
57 Charles Catlett: New Interpretations of an Unusual Samarian Hemiobol. Before the twenty-first century, descriptions of the oldest Samarian coins necessarily relied upon visual examinations of worn or incomplete specimens. The subsequent use of enlarged high-resolution images to analyze Samarian coins of the Achemenid period has now enabled this researcher to suggest a new interpretation of the obverse design of one hemiobol of the series.
67 Avraham S. Tendler and Shahar Krispin: Three Coin Hoards from Ḥorbat Ashun and Their Archeological and Historical Context. The excavations at Ḥorbat Ashun exposed the remains of a rural settlement that existed between the Early Hellenistic and the Late Roman periods. Three coin hoards were found: Hoard A: 16 silver Seleukid coins minted in Tyre (135–125 BCE); Hoard B: eight silver and bronze coins (59/60–138 CE); and Hoard C: three gold dinars minted in Damascus under the Umayyad rulers Al-Walid and Suleiman b. ᷾Abd al-Malik (705–715 CE). The article presents the three coin hoards, describes the archaeological contexts in which they were found, and discusses the possible historical circumstances for their deposition.
85 Dvir Raviv: A Numismatic Survey at Ḥorbat Bet Zekharya and Possible Evidence for the Fifth Battle of Judah Maccabi. This paper reports on 92 coins, dating from the Persian to the Mamluk periods, uncovered during the 2022 survey season at Ḥ. Bet Zekharya in the northern Hebron Hills. The analysis of this numismatic assemblage, along with additional miscellaneous artifacts, significantly enhances our understanding of the site’s historical development. Notably, the discovery of a coin from Side (Pamphylia) and three lead sling bullets may provide archaeological support for the historicity of the Battle of Bet Zekharya, the fifth Maccabean–Seleukid battle (163 BCE).
119 Haim Shaham: The Missing Coins of Queen Shelamẓion. This study addresses the purported absence of coins attributed to the reign of Queen Shelamẓion (76–67 BCE), despite historical accounts of prosperity and military strength during her rule. The possibility that Shelamẓion issued coins through her son High Priest Hyrkanos II is reexamined. Special attention is given to the TJC coin Groups S and T that bear the name YNTN, their typology, overstrikes, and hybrid die combinations. That these issues likely represent Shelamẓion’s missing coinage is suggested, thus affecting Hasmonean mint chronology and focusing on Shelamẓion’s role in coinage reforms and projecting her political-religious authority within her gender constraints.
145 Dvir Raviv and Yanniv D. Levy: The Geographical Distribution of Mattatya (Mattathias) Antigonos’ Coins: New Insights from Recent Discoveries. An updated distribution list of coins minted by Mattatya (Mattathias) Antigonos includes 69 recently discovered specimens not yet published. Analysis of the list reveals that the coins circulated widely in the Hasmonean-Herodian kingdom — including regions explicitly identified by Josephus as zones of conflict between the king’s forces and Herod’s troops, as well as areas beyond those mentioned in his account. The expanded dataset not only corresponds with Josephus’ descriptions of key centers of resistance but also indicates that opposition to Herodian rule among the Judean population may have been more geographically widespread than his biased narrative reflects.
181 Haim Shkolnik and Tal Orenshtein: The Coins from the Mevo’ot Yeriḥo Aqueduct: An Early Roman Foundation Deposit. A small assemblage of eight Hasmonean and Early Roman bronze coins was recovered during the excavations conducted by SOA in the settlement of Mevo’ot Yeriḥo in 2020. The coins appear to have been deliberately placed in the mortar of the aqueduct’s specus base, with no apparent intent or ability to recover them later. The find is interpreted as a possible foundation deposit, meant to bring ’good luck’ to the public project.
191 Itamar Taxel and Gabriela Bijovsky : A Bar Kokhba Coin from Khirbat ed-Duheisha, near Yavne: Evidence for the Second Jewish Revolt on the Southern Coast? A Bar Kokhba coin dated to the first year of the Second Jewish Revolt (132/3 CE), found during a survey at the site of Khirbat ed-Duheisha, northeast of Yavne, is the first Bar Kokhba coin reported from the southern coastal region. The coin’s geographical context, alongside the fact that it was pierced for secondary use, is considered in order to evaluate whether it is an authentic piece of evidence for the Bar Kokhba Revolt, or just an out-of-context find.
199 Achim Lichtenberger: Sepphoris and Trajan: Diokaisareia iera, asylos, autonomos. This paper reexamines Sepphoris’ transformation into Diokaisareia during the Roman imperial period, arguing for a Trajanic date based on numismatic evidence. It highlights the construction of a pagan temple in the Jewish city and the adoption of civic titles — iera, asylos and autonomos — as markers of a major urban shift. Contrary to previous views favoring a date under Hadrian or Antoninus Pius, this study ties these changes to Trajan’s policies. Analysis of coin legends using edoken suggests an imperial grant related to Sepphoris becoming Diokaisareia. Comparisons with Kapitolias and Tiberias further support a Trajanic context and broader regional reorganization.
211 Yoav Farhi and Ronen Bachar: The Crab of Iulia Domna from Nysa-Skythopolis. This paper presents the only known specimen of a Roman provincial coin struck at Nysa-Skythopolis in the name of Iulia Domna in 215/6 CE depicting a crab (zodiac sign of Cancer) and a crescent moon, all within a wreath.
219 Yoav Farhi and Alexander Kaplun: Roman Provincial Tetradrachms of Askalon Bearing a Civic Era Date. The attribution of provincial tetradrachms with a dove motif to Askalon is generally accepted today and several types and variants of these large and impressive silver coins are assigned to the city. This paper discusses a previously unpublished tetradrachm that not only bears a dove motif but also attests to a civic era date. The new date, year 320 (216/7 CE) is the first Syro-Phoenician Caracalla tetradrachm dated by a civic era.
233 Yinon Shivtiel, Nili Ahipaz, Dror Barshad and Uri Berger: Two Coin Hoards from Hiding Complexes in Galilee and the Question of Their Association with the Gallus Revolt. Khirbat Khuwweikha and Ḥorbat Ḥuqoq represent two of 83 identified hiding complexes in Galilee, a minority of which have produced artifacts from the Second Temple period and subsequent eras during archaeological investigations. Both sites have yielded mid-fourth-century CE coin hoards attributed to the reign of Constantius II, who appointed his cousin Constantius Gallus as governor of the eastern Roman provinces in 351 CE. This unprecedented discovery offers valuable new insights into the historical context of Galilee during the period surrounding the Gallus Revolt — a rebellion decisively quelled by Gallus, yet one for which extant historical and archaeological documentation is limited.
259 Mikhail G. Abramzon, Vladimir D. Kuznetsov, and Sergey N. Ostapenko: More Coins from the Jewish Compound at Phanagoria: Focus on the Purses and Isolated Coins beyond the Prayer Hall. Sixty-one Bosporan and Byzantine coins retrieved during the 2023–2025 excavations of the ancient synagogue complex at Phanagoria are discussed. Four purses were discovered in the synagogue’s atrium and surroundings, containing bronze staters minted in the names of Thothorses (285/6‒309/10 CE), Rhadamsades (309/10‒318/9 CE) and Rhescuporis VI (318/9‒341/2 CE). Twenty-eight isolated coins were found in the atrium, the winery and pavements outside the prayer hall. The numismatic finds illustrate civic life inside the synagogue complex on an ordinary day in the mid-sixth century.
281 Nikolaus Schindel: The Date of Heraclius’ Jerusalem Folles. Rare solidi and folles of Heraclius from Jerusalem are the only Byzantine issues that were struck with certainty in present-day Israel. The mint of the latter is given as IEPOCOS. The date is four, which has traditionally been interpreted as a regal year of Heraclius. Recently, Woods has suggested that it refers to the beginning of the revolt of the Heraclii. This suggestion is re-revaluated here, with the result that the traditional interpretation should be preferred to the new theory.
287 Nikolaus Schindel: Early Islamic Copper Coins from Southern Bilad ash-Sham: An Overview. The recent publication of two large collections of early Islamic post-reform copper coins (fulūs) stimulated me to discuss the mints and types that were produced in the Early Islamic provinces of Filastin and al-Urdunn, which comprise modern Israel. A die analysis that I conducted for some of the smaller mints, while not completely uniform, often attests to a remarkably large number of coins per die. The larger picture of the patterns of coin production in the Umayyad period, when compared with the subsequent ‘Abbasid period, is also considered.
311 Roy Marom and Nitzan Amitai-Preiss: Early Islamic Rural Administration and Toponymy in Kūrat Qaysārīyah: New Evidence of Umayyad Lead Bullae. This article presents Umayyad lead bullae from Kūrat Qaysārīyah, including the first securely read specimens naming Kafr Yārūb, Bal‘am[a], and Baydūs. These bullae, bearing administrative formulas linking kūrah, iqlīm, and village, provide critical evidence for early Islamic rural governance in Filasṭīn. Integrating epigraphy, archaeology, and toponymy, the study reconstructs a granular fiscal geography and offers new insights into interprovincial boundaries, linguistic continuity, and administrative reach. The findings shed new light on the scale and structure of Umayyad provincial administration, and demonstrate how lead seals can recalibrate our understanding of early Islamic statecraft and regional organization.
323 François-Xavier Fauvelle, Robert Kool, and Issa Baidoun: Minting Gold at Zawīlah: A Case for Zawīlah Ibn Khaṭṭāb in Libya. This article examines a group of Fatimid gold dinars bearing the mint name Zawīlah, including coins from the 2015 Caesarea hoard. Through numismatic, historical, and archaeological analysis, the authors argue that the mint was located in Zawīlah Ibn Khaṭṭāb, a Libyan oasis town active in trans-Saharan trade. The study assembles all known coins from this mint and dates its activity to 1003–1025 CE. It suggests that local Ibāḍī rulers minted these coins under nominal Fatimid suzerainty to assert control over the gold trade and align themselves with imperial authority in a strategically vital Saharan region.
337 Oren Tal: Levantine Coinages Online: A New Research Tool for Southern Levantine Coinage. Levantine Coinages Online introduces a new open-access, constantly updated digital platform for the study of coinages from the southern Levant under Achaemenid and Hellenistic rule. The current database covers the coinages of Judah (Yhwd) and Samaria (Šmryn), and is based on their recently published comprehensive studies, namely The Yehud Coinage: A Study and Die Classification of the Provincial Silver Coinage of Judah and A Corpus of Samarian Coinage from the Persian Period. Future additions will include the coinage of Philistia and Edom and will provide links to local southern Levantine mints under the Ptolemies and the Seleukids.
5 Yinon Horesh, Mati Johananoff, Oren Tal, Haim Gitler, Noa Shatil, Sabine Kleiman, Manfred Oeming and Oded Lipschits: Coinage at the Crossroads: A Numismatic Profile of Tel ‘Azeqah from the Persian, Macedonian and Ptolemaic Periods
41 Mati Johananoff: Reconsidering the Fourth Century BCE Fractional Silver Coinage of Syrian Manbog (Hierapolis-Bambyke)
57 Charles Catlett: New Interpretations of an Unusual Samarian Hemiobol
67 Avraham S. Tendler and Shahar Krispin: Three Coin Hoards from Ḥorbat Ashun and Their Archeological and Historical Context
85 Dvir Raviv: A Numismatic Survey at Ḥorbat Bet Zekharya and Possible Evidence for the Fifth Battle of Judah Maccabi
119 Haim Shaham: The Missing Coins of Queen Shelamẓion
145 Dvir Raviv and Yanniv D. Levy: The Geographical Distribution of Mattatya (Mattathias) Antigonos’ Coins: New Insights from Recent Discoveries
181 Haim Shkolnik and Tal Orenshtein: The Coins from the Mevo’ot Yeriḥo Aqueduct: An Early Roman Foundation Deposit
191 Itamar Taxel and Gabriela Bijovsky : A Bar Kokhba Coin from Khirbat ed-Duheisha, near Yavne: Evidence for the Second Jewish Revolt on the Southern Coast?
199 Achim Lichtenberger: Sepphoris and Trajan: Diokaisareia iera, asylos, autonomos
211 Yoav Farhi and Ronen Bachar: The Crab of Iulia Domna from Nysa-Skythopolis
219 Yoav Farhi and Alexander Kaplun: Roman Provincial Tetradrachms of Askalon Bearing a Civic Era Date
233 Yinon Shivtiel, Nili Ahipaz, Dror Barshad and Uri Berger: Two Coin Hoards from Hiding Complexes in Galilee and the Question of Their Association with the Gallus Revolt
259 Mikhail G. Abramzon, Vladimir D. Kuznetsov, and Sergey N. Ostapenko: More Coins from the Jewish Compound at Phanagoria: Focus on the Purses and Isolated Coins beyond the Prayer Hall
281 Nikolaus Schindel: The Date of Heraclius’ Jerusalem Folles
287 Nikolaus Schindel: Early Islamic Copper Coins from Southern Bilad ash-Sham: An Overview
311 Roy Marom and Nitzan Amitai-Preiss: Early Islamic Rural Administration and Toponymy in Kūrat Qaysārīyah: New Evidence of Umayyad Lead Bullae
323 François-Xavier Fauvelle, Robert Kool, and Issa Baidoun: Minting Gold at Zawīlah: A Case for Zawīlah Ibn Khaṭṭāb in Libya
337 Oren Tal: Levantine Coinages Online: A New Research Tool for Southern Levantine Coinage
Abstracts
5 Yinon Horesh, Mati Johananoff, Oren Tal, Haim Gitler, Noa Shatil, Sabine Kleiman, Manfred Oeming and Oded Lipschits: Coinage at the Crossroads: A Numismatic Profile of Tel ‘Azeqah from the Persian, Macedonian and Ptolemaic Periods. This paper presents an assemblage of 74 foreign and locally minted coins from Tel ‘Azeqah, dating from the Persian to the Ptolemaic periods. It includes Athenian, Sidonian, Philistian, Judean and Edomite issues, Macedonian-period coins, Babylonian fractions and Ptolemaic coins. These finds reflect distinct stages in the local monetization process and patterns of monetary circulation in the Judean foothills, a region bridging coastal and inland economic zones. Located at the crossroads of the provincial administrative regions of Judah, Philistia and Edom, ‘Azeqah serves as a point of convergence for diverse currencies, offering insights into broader economic transformations in the southern Levant.
41 Mati Johananoff: Reconsidering the Fourth Century BCE Fractional Silver Coinage of Syrian Manbog (Hierapolis-Bambyke).The north Syrian mint of Manbog is best known for its didrachms, predominantly featuring cultic imagery associated with the city’s renowned temple. While 59 such didrachms are known, only two fractional silver coins have been securely identified to date. Whereas previous studies have focused on the mint’s larger denominations, this paper draws on typological, iconographic, and epigraphic evidence to expand the known corpus of Manbog’s small change. Based on the distinctive and recurring U-shaped symbol, the study suggests that Manbog employed a more flexible denominational system than previously recognized, prompting a reassessment of its monetary output in the late Persian and early Macedonian periods.
57 Charles Catlett: New Interpretations of an Unusual Samarian Hemiobol. Before the twenty-first century, descriptions of the oldest Samarian coins necessarily relied upon visual examinations of worn or incomplete specimens. The subsequent use of enlarged high-resolution images to analyze Samarian coins of the Achemenid period has now enabled this researcher to suggest a new interpretation of the obverse design of one hemiobol of the series.
67 Avraham S. Tendler and Shahar Krispin: Three Coin Hoards from Ḥorbat Ashun and Their Archeological and Historical Context. The excavations at Ḥorbat Ashun exposed the remains of a rural settlement that existed between the Early Hellenistic and the Late Roman periods. Three coin hoards were found: Hoard A: 16 silver Seleukid coins minted in Tyre (135–125 BCE); Hoard B: eight silver and bronze coins (59/60–138 CE); and Hoard C: three gold dinars minted in Damascus under the Umayyad rulers Al-Walid and Suleiman b. ᷾Abd al-Malik (705–715 CE). The article presents the three coin hoards, describes the archaeological contexts in which they were found, and discusses the possible historical circumstances for their deposition.
85 Dvir Raviv: A Numismatic Survey at Ḥorbat Bet Zekharya and Possible Evidence for the Fifth Battle of Judah Maccabi. This paper reports on 92 coins, dating from the Persian to the Mamluk periods, uncovered during the 2022 survey season at Ḥ. Bet Zekharya in the northern Hebron Hills. The analysis of this numismatic assemblage, along with additional miscellaneous artifacts, significantly enhances our understanding of the site’s historical development. Notably, the discovery of a coin from Side (Pamphylia) and three lead sling bullets may provide archaeological support for the historicity of the Battle of Bet Zekharya, the fifth Maccabean–Seleukid battle (163 BCE).
119 Haim Shaham: The Missing Coins of Queen Shelamẓion. This study addresses the purported absence of coins attributed to the reign of Queen Shelamẓion (76–67 BCE), despite historical accounts of prosperity and military strength during her rule. The possibility that Shelamẓion issued coins through her son High Priest Hyrkanos II is reexamined. Special attention is given to the TJC coin Groups S and T that bear the name YNTN, their typology, overstrikes, and hybrid die combinations. That these issues likely represent Shelamẓion’s missing coinage is suggested, thus affecting Hasmonean mint chronology and focusing on Shelamẓion’s role in coinage reforms and projecting her political-religious authority within her gender constraints.
145 Dvir Raviv and Yanniv D. Levy: The Geographical Distribution of Mattatya (Mattathias) Antigonos’ Coins: New Insights from Recent Discoveries. An updated distribution list of coins minted by Mattatya (Mattathias) Antigonos includes 69 recently discovered specimens not yet published. Analysis of the list reveals that the coins circulated widely in the Hasmonean-Herodian kingdom — including regions explicitly identified by Josephus as zones of conflict between the king’s forces and Herod’s troops, as well as areas beyond those mentioned in his account. The expanded dataset not only corresponds with Josephus’ descriptions of key centers of resistance but also indicates that opposition to Herodian rule among the Judean population may have been more geographically widespread than his biased narrative reflects.
181 Haim Shkolnik and Tal Orenshtein: The Coins from the Mevo’ot Yeriḥo Aqueduct: An Early Roman Foundation Deposit. A small assemblage of eight Hasmonean and Early Roman bronze coins was recovered during the excavations conducted by SOA in the settlement of Mevo’ot Yeriḥo in 2020. The coins appear to have been deliberately placed in the mortar of the aqueduct’s specus base, with no apparent intent or ability to recover them later. The find is interpreted as a possible foundation deposit, meant to bring ’good luck’ to the public project.
191 Itamar Taxel and Gabriela Bijovsky : A Bar Kokhba Coin from Khirbat ed-Duheisha, near Yavne: Evidence for the Second Jewish Revolt on the Southern Coast? A Bar Kokhba coin dated to the first year of the Second Jewish Revolt (132/3 CE), found during a survey at the site of Khirbat ed-Duheisha, northeast of Yavne, is the first Bar Kokhba coin reported from the southern coastal region. The coin’s geographical context, alongside the fact that it was pierced for secondary use, is considered in order to evaluate whether it is an authentic piece of evidence for the Bar Kokhba Revolt, or just an out-of-context find.
199 Achim Lichtenberger: Sepphoris and Trajan: Diokaisareia iera, asylos, autonomos. This paper reexamines Sepphoris’ transformation into Diokaisareia during the Roman imperial period, arguing for a Trajanic date based on numismatic evidence. It highlights the construction of a pagan temple in the Jewish city and the adoption of civic titles — iera, asylos and autonomos — as markers of a major urban shift. Contrary to previous views favoring a date under Hadrian or Antoninus Pius, this study ties these changes to Trajan’s policies. Analysis of coin legends using edoken suggests an imperial grant related to Sepphoris becoming Diokaisareia. Comparisons with Kapitolias and Tiberias further support a Trajanic context and broader regional reorganization.
211 Yoav Farhi and Ronen Bachar: The Crab of Iulia Domna from Nysa-Skythopolis. This paper presents the only known specimen of a Roman provincial coin struck at Nysa-Skythopolis in the name of Iulia Domna in 215/6 CE depicting a crab (zodiac sign of Cancer) and a crescent moon, all within a wreath.
219 Yoav Farhi and Alexander Kaplun: Roman Provincial Tetradrachms of Askalon Bearing a Civic Era Date. The attribution of provincial tetradrachms with a dove motif to Askalon is generally accepted today and several types and variants of these large and impressive silver coins are assigned to the city. This paper discusses a previously unpublished tetradrachm that not only bears a dove motif but also attests to a civic era date. The new date, year 320 (216/7 CE) is the first Syro-Phoenician Caracalla tetradrachm dated by a civic era.
233 Yinon Shivtiel, Nili Ahipaz, Dror Barshad and Uri Berger: Two Coin Hoards from Hiding Complexes in Galilee and the Question of Their Association with the Gallus Revolt. Khirbat Khuwweikha and Ḥorbat Ḥuqoq represent two of 83 identified hiding complexes in Galilee, a minority of which have produced artifacts from the Second Temple period and subsequent eras during archaeological investigations. Both sites have yielded mid-fourth-century CE coin hoards attributed to the reign of Constantius II, who appointed his cousin Constantius Gallus as governor of the eastern Roman provinces in 351 CE. This unprecedented discovery offers valuable new insights into the historical context of Galilee during the period surrounding the Gallus Revolt — a rebellion decisively quelled by Gallus, yet one for which extant historical and archaeological documentation is limited.
259 Mikhail G. Abramzon, Vladimir D. Kuznetsov, and Sergey N. Ostapenko: More Coins from the Jewish Compound at Phanagoria: Focus on the Purses and Isolated Coins beyond the Prayer Hall. Sixty-one Bosporan and Byzantine coins retrieved during the 2023–2025 excavations of the ancient synagogue complex at Phanagoria are discussed. Four purses were discovered in the synagogue’s atrium and surroundings, containing bronze staters minted in the names of Thothorses (285/6‒309/10 CE), Rhadamsades (309/10‒318/9 CE) and Rhescuporis VI (318/9‒341/2 CE). Twenty-eight isolated coins were found in the atrium, the winery and pavements outside the prayer hall. The numismatic finds illustrate civic life inside the synagogue complex on an ordinary day in the mid-sixth century.
281 Nikolaus Schindel: The Date of Heraclius’ Jerusalem Folles. Rare solidi and folles of Heraclius from Jerusalem are the only Byzantine issues that were struck with certainty in present-day Israel. The mint of the latter is given as IEPOCOS. The date is four, which has traditionally been interpreted as a regal year of Heraclius. Recently, Woods has suggested that it refers to the beginning of the revolt of the Heraclii. This suggestion is re-revaluated here, with the result that the traditional interpretation should be preferred to the new theory.
287 Nikolaus Schindel: Early Islamic Copper Coins from Southern Bilad ash-Sham: An Overview. The recent publication of two large collections of early Islamic post-reform copper coins (fulūs) stimulated me to discuss the mints and types that were produced in the Early Islamic provinces of Filastin and al-Urdunn, which comprise modern Israel. A die analysis that I conducted for some of the smaller mints, while not completely uniform, often attests to a remarkably large number of coins per die. The larger picture of the patterns of coin production in the Umayyad period, when compared with the subsequent ‘Abbasid period, is also considered.
311 Roy Marom and Nitzan Amitai-Preiss: Early Islamic Rural Administration and Toponymy in Kūrat Qaysārīyah: New Evidence of Umayyad Lead Bullae. This article presents Umayyad lead bullae from Kūrat Qaysārīyah, including the first securely read specimens naming Kafr Yārūb, Bal‘am[a], and Baydūs. These bullae, bearing administrative formulas linking kūrah, iqlīm, and village, provide critical evidence for early Islamic rural governance in Filasṭīn. Integrating epigraphy, archaeology, and toponymy, the study reconstructs a granular fiscal geography and offers new insights into interprovincial boundaries, linguistic continuity, and administrative reach. The findings shed new light on the scale and structure of Umayyad provincial administration, and demonstrate how lead seals can recalibrate our understanding of early Islamic statecraft and regional organization.
323 François-Xavier Fauvelle, Robert Kool, and Issa Baidoun: Minting Gold at Zawīlah: A Case for Zawīlah Ibn Khaṭṭāb in Libya. This article examines a group of Fatimid gold dinars bearing the mint name Zawīlah, including coins from the 2015 Caesarea hoard. Through numismatic, historical, and archaeological analysis, the authors argue that the mint was located in Zawīlah Ibn Khaṭṭāb, a Libyan oasis town active in trans-Saharan trade. The study assembles all known coins from this mint and dates its activity to 1003–1025 CE. It suggests that local Ibāḍī rulers minted these coins under nominal Fatimid suzerainty to assert control over the gold trade and align themselves with imperial authority in a strategically vital Saharan region.
337 Oren Tal: Levantine Coinages Online: A New Research Tool for Southern Levantine Coinage. Levantine Coinages Online introduces a new open-access, constantly updated digital platform for the study of coinages from the southern Levant under Achaemenid and Hellenistic rule. The current database covers the coinages of Judah (Yhwd) and Samaria (Šmryn), and is based on their recently published comprehensive studies, namely The Yehud Coinage: A Study and Die Classification of the Provincial Silver Coinage of Judah and A Corpus of Samarian Coinage from the Persian Period. Future additions will include the coinage of Philistia and Edom and will provide links to local southern Levantine mints under the Ptolemies and the Seleukids.
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