Silver half-shekel coin from Great Revolt excavated at the Ophel

NUMISMATICS: Rare silver half-shekel, minted by rebels against Rome in 69 CE, found in Jerusalem. Coin found in remains of building from the Second Temple era, was likely used to pay annual tax for worship at the site; most coins of this type are bronze (Times of Israel).

A rare half-shekel silver coin, minted by Jewish rebels nearly 2,000 years ago during the Great Revolt against Roman rule, was recently found during excavations in Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Tuesday.

It was only the third such coin of its type found during excavations in the capital, and among only a handful found in other locations, the IAA said in a statement.

For the discovery of a silver half-shekel coin from the Great Revolt by the Temple Mount Sifting Project in 2008, see here. For diplomatic replica trinket half-shekel coins, see here. For the embarrassing incident of the "discovery" of the children's toy mistaken for an ancient half-shekel coin, see here, here, and here. For the ancient half-shekel Temple tax, see here and links.

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