The gold coin bearing the Image of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II.Nir Distelfeld, Israel Antiquities Authority
Posted on 12/10/2022 9:56:13 AM PST by SunkenCiv
The coin, the first of its type discovered in Israel, was minted by the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II, whose edicts led to the abolishment of the Sanhedrin Council and to the large-scale emigration of Jews to the Diaspora.
1,600 years after the edict of the Emperor Theodosius II led to the abolishment of the post of the 'Nasi,' the Head of the Sanhedrin, school pupils found a rare piece of evidence reflecting this dramatic moment in Jewish history.
In February 2019, four ninth grade students from the Haemeq Hamaaravi High School in Kibbutz Yifat in the Jezreel valley were orienteering in the fields alongside the Zippori stream in the Galilee, adjacent to the Sanhedrin Trail, when they spotted a gold coin on the ground. The four pupils, Ido Kadosh, Ofir Sigal, Dotan Miller and Harel Grin, realized immediately that this was a significant find, and they reported it to their geography and history teacher Zohar Porshyan, who contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The pupils handed the coin to Nir Distelfeld, the IAA anti-theft inspector, and showed him the spot in the field where the found had been made...
Theodosius II was one of the most influential emperors of the Byzantine Empire, compiling an Imperial Code of Laws, designated the 'Codex Theodosius'.
According to Yair Amitzur, IAA chief archaeologist of the Sanhedrin Trail, "The emperor Theodosius II abolished the post of the 'Nasi', the Head of the Sanhedrin Council, and decreed that the Jews' financial contributions to the Sanhedrin be transferred to the Imperial Treasury."
(Excerpt) Read more at gov.il ...
The gold coin bearing the Image of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II.Nir Distelfeld, Israel Antiquities Authority
The kids “spotted a gold coin on the ground.”
All I spot is cigarette butts.
That’s a pretty nicely minted and preserved coin, as ancient coins go.
That’s what happens when you come to where the flavor is, instead of this trail thing.
It looks like it was just minted!
Beautiful!
The workmanship is pretty good for the period.
If earlier date might have been the origination of parable of the lost coin. But we do have an idea of how the person thought and acted when he lost it.
Was Joseph of Arimathea a “Nasi” member of the Sanhedrin?
They did nice work back then. Gold coins also didn’t circulate that much because of their great value relative to other coin types.
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The pupils handed the coin to Nir Distelfeld.
Bet he will never forget that moment for the fest of his life.
Put a decal on your car
Women who smoke put your butts in here
My work for you?.
What would someone buy with that, a house, a herd of camels, goats, sheep????
Or an emperor’s package at Cesar’s?
I wonder how much it would bring on eBay?
What’s particularly fascinating about this coin is how strongly the likeness of Theo. II resembles the bug-eyed look his bust housed at the Louvre.
“...four ninth grade students...Ido Kadosh, Ofir Sigal, Dotan Miller and Harel Grin...they reported it to their geography and history teacher Zohar Porshyan, who contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority.”
Wow! Honest people! Renews my faith in humanity.
I lost one just like that when I was walking around that area, birdwatching.
Where can I make a missing items report?
Between $50-150 K, I’m guessing. It’s in excellent condition.
That shined up nice!
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