The Givati hoard is singularly homogeneous, and [IAA senior numismatist Gabriella] Bijovsky concludes that “during this time (608-615 CE), and especially after the capture of Antioch by the Persians in 611 and until 613, the presence of a Byzantine military garrison in Jerusalem could explain the operation of a temporary mint in order to pay the troops and emphasize Byzantine sovereignty over the city… Given the fact that all Antioch surrendered to the Persians in 610, Emesa and Apamea in 611, and Damascus in 613, Jerusalem remained the only major Byzantine stronghold in the region capable of coin production.”This is the first I recall hearing about this coin hoard. For PaleoJudaica posts about other discoveries at the Givati (Giv'ati) Parking Lot Excavation, see here and links.
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