American tourist discovers rare ancient Jewish coin from Hasmonean period in Shiloh, Samaria

Juan, an American tourist from California, discovered a rare coin from the Second Jewish Temple era at Shiloh, an ancient archaeological site in Samaria, which is internationally recognized as the northern part of the West Bank. Shiloh, administered by the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, is known in the Hebrew Bible as the first sanctuary of the Israelites in Canaan.

Juan, who is a man of faith, revealed that he and his wife visited Shiloh for the first time four years ago. 

"I was here four years ago with my wife. We came to pray for a child, just like Hannah in the Bible, because we had been unable to conceive for about 10 years," he recalled. "A year later, we had an amazing daughter, who is now three years old. It's proof that God always listens to heartfelt prayers," he added.

The ancient Jewish coin, which was minted during the reign of Hashmonean King Alexander Jannaeus, was handed over to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). The IAA, responsible for preserving ancient artifacts in Israel, has trained personnel who specialize in professional cleaning and precise age identification.

The head of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council, Israel Gantz, welcomed the discovery as further proof of the ancient ties between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. 

"The discovery of a coin from the Second Temple period is further evidence of the Jewish people's and Israel's connection to our land in Binyamin,” he stated. 

“The Jewish story began here and we continue it. The archaeological site in Shiloh keeps revealing fascinating finds that connect us to our deep roots. We are working to develop the site and make it accessible to thousands of visitors from Israel and around the world," Gantz added.

Israel, and Judea and Samaria (West Bank) are full of ancient Jewish sites that are connected to the Bible. 

In August 2022, Scott Stripling, director of the Tel Shiloh excavations for the Associates for Biblical Research, spoke to ALL ISRAEL NEWS on the discovery of piers that archeologists believe constituted a part of a gate complex at the northern end of the biblical city Shiloh. 

“This was either the main gate or another gate,” Stripling told ALL ISRAEL NEWS.

He explained the importance of the archeological discovery. 

“This is important because the High Priest, Eli, died in the gate of Shiloh,” he explained. “We discovered what we think is the gate mentioned in 1 Samuel 4.”

“When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led Israel 40 years.” (1 Samuel 4:18)

Stripling concluded by emphasizing that the archeological discovery validates the narrative in the Bible. 

“All of this together inductively suggests to us that we are seeing what is found in the Bible,” he stated. “There are many lines of evidence and from it an overarching picture emerges.”