Ancient Hasmonean Coin Discovered in East Jerusalem Home

Yesterday (Sunday), on the last day of Chanukah, Israeli police detectives discovered archaeological artifacts in the possession of an East Jerusalem resident, including a coin from the Hasmonean period featuring an engraving of the sacred Menorah.

Detectives from the central unit of the Jerusalem district found the artifacts, comprising dozens of ancient coins from various earlier periods with significant archaeological value, during a police search of the home of an East Jerusalem resident in his 30s.

The suspect was detained for investigation, and the items were seized and transferred to the unit's offices, where they underwent preliminary examination by representatives of the Israel Antiquities Authority. According to a representative of the Authority, among the items seized was a Hasmonean coin from the time of Mattathias Antigonus in the first century BCE, featuring an engraving of the Temple Menorah, a signet ring from the Biblical era with an inscription in ancient Hebrew script, and an oil lamp from the Hasmonean period..

As mentioned, the suspect has been transferred for investigation at the Jerusalem region crime unit, in an investigation conducted in collaboration with the Israel Antiquities Authority..