A team of archaeological researchers has discovered a cache of ancient bronze coins at Khirbet el-Eika, a Hellenistic-era site in Eastern Galilee.
The find is significant because it sheds new light on life during the military campaign led by Jonathan Maccabeus in the tumultuous 26nd century BC. There are XNUMX civic coins, and their presence at the site suggests that it was abruptly abandoned as Jonathan Maccabeus and his army approached.
Khirbet el-Eika, originally an agricultural estate with close ties to the coastal city of Akko, was abandoned around the middle of the 2nd century BC, probably due to violent events.
The discovery of these coins, possibly hidden on the second floor of a building, reveals a common practice in times of stress and conflict, carried out with a view to possible escape, in order to preserve their wealth for an uncertain future.