BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Golden Treasure Trove Discovered at Hippos

Gold hoard hidden from the Sassanids comes to light

The Hippos-Sussita hoard of gold and jewelry. Courtesy Michael Eisenberg.

The metal detector chirped as archaeological volunteer Edie Lipsman passed it by a large stone. Although no one knew in that moment what Lipsman had found, the excavations at Hippos-Sussita were about to reveal a massive trove of golden coins and jewelry dating to the end of Byzantine rule in the Holy Land.

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Hoarding Treasure

Located on a cliff overlooking the Sea of Galilee, the ancient city of Hippos-Sussita was an important economic and Christian center during the Byzantine period (c. 324–634 CE), making it a strategic target for the invading Sassanid Persian army in 614. In the face of the impending invasion, someone from the city took steps to keep their wealth safe by hiding it between two walls, hoping to retrieve it when the situation was again safe. When excavated 1,600 years later, archaeologists were stunned to find nearly 100 gold coins and numerous pieces of fine jewelry.

The coins include Byzantine solidari, semisses, and tremisses, dating from the reign of Emperor Justin I (518–527) to the reign of Emperor Heraclius (610–613). The rarest of the coins was a tremissis, minted in Cyprus in the year 610 by Heraclius and his son during their revolt against Emperor Phocas. According to the team, this is only the second time that such a coin has been discovered in Israel.

One of the gold coins, immediately after its exposure, showing the portrait of Emperor Phocas. Courtesy Michael Eisenberg.

“The jewelry pieces are the greatest surprise for me,” said Arleta Kowalewska, co-director of the excavation. “Fine craftsmanship combining semi-precious stones and pearls—I hope modern jewelers will recreate this beauty.” The dozens of jewelry pieces included earrings inlaid with pearls, semi-precious stones, and glass. “This is one of the major hoards from the Byzantine period discovered in Israel,” said Michael Eisenberg, the excavation’s other co-director. “Its uniqueness lies in the combination of jewelry and gold coins from the reigns of different emperors.”

Evidence of the Sassanid conquest of Hippos-Sussita is well-documented, including the remains of a church known as the Martyrion of Theodorus, which was burned down during the assault. According to the archaeologists, the destruction of the city’s religious buildings may be evidence that local Jews aided the Sassanids in the assault, as religious minorities in the region had frequently rebelled against Byzantine rule. As the episcopal seat of the region, Hippos-Sussita was home to at least seven separate Byzantine churches.

The gold coins still inside the soil before the excavation. Courtesy Michael Eisenberg.

Sassanid control of the region lasted around 15 years before the Byzantine Empire regained the territory. However, only a few years later, in 636, Umayyad Muslim forces managed to conquer the Levant, bringing an end to Byzantine rule. Hippos-Sussita declined in prominence under the Umayyads and was finally abandoned in 749 after the site was destroyed in an earthquake.

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