BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Temple Mount Coin Exhibit at the Davidson Center, Jerusalem

The Davidson Center

(Located between Dung Gate and the Western Wall plaza)
Jerusalem Archaeological Park
Jerusalem, Israel

Dates: Opening November 11, 2009

The Israel Antiquities Authority has created a new exhibit in the Davidson Center in Jerusalem that showcases a collection of coins discovered during excavations at the base of the Temple Mount. The presentation of the coins, many of which date back over 2,000 years, illuminates the expansive history of Jerusalem over the millennia as a location of pilgrimages and religious quests.

The difference between the Jewish coins and the other ancient coins will be a highlight of the exhibit. The Jewish prohibition against making a “graven image or likeness of anything…” is evident in the symbols used on the Jewish coins, which are contrasted with the human images on the other coins from antiquity.

A rare shekel, minted around the time of the Great Revolt (70 C.E.), will make its debut during this exhibit along with a large sarcophagus lid inscribed with references to the son of one of the Second Temple-period priests.