HUQOQ, ISRAEL—Israeli archaeologists discovered a rare hoard of coins hidden deep in an underground complex beneath the settlement of Huqoq, i24 News reports. The network of underground tunnels and chambers had been dug by Jews in Lower Galilee in the first and second centuries a.d. to serve as hiding places during times of rebellion against the Roman Empire. Experts initially believed that the collection of bronze coins must have originally been stashed away during either the Great Revolt (a.d. 66–70) or the Bar Kokhba Revolt (a.d. 132–135), two well-documented periods of unrest. When researchers examined the objects more closely, however, they noticed the coins bear likenesses of the Roman emperors Constantius II and Constans I, who both ruled during the fourth century a.d. This suggests that the small treasure was actually hidden for safekeeping during the lesser-known Gallus Revolt (a.d. 351–352), the last known Jewish uprising against Roman rule. According to archaeologists, this makes the discovery even more significant because almost no archaeological evidence survives that can be connected with this event. To read about another discovery at the site, go to "Mosaics of Huqoq."
