The discovery of a rare Roman gold coin with the name of the Roman Emperor Nero (From Julio-Claudian dynasty) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s archaeological excavations on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, has been announced by the archaeologists in charge of the project, Drs. Shimon Gibson, James Tabor, and Rafael Lewis.
“The coin is exceptional,” said Gibson, “because this is the first time that a coin of this kind has turned up in Jerusalem in a scientific dig. Coins of this type are usually only found in private collections”. The lettering around the edge of the coin reads: NERO CAESAR AVG IMP. Inscriptions on the coin helped researchers to read exactly date as 56/57 AD.
“The coin probably came from one of the rich 2000-year old Jewish dwellings which the UNC Charlotte team have been uncovering at the site,” said Gibson. “These belonged to the priestly and aristocratic quarter located in the Upper City of Jerusalem.
This discovery is also interesting because from historical sources there is no evidence that Emperor Nero ever visited Jerusalem.
