Coins Dating to Time of Ezra Discovered in Jerusalem

Five extremely rare coins dating to the time of Ezra have been discovered in Jerusalem. The discovery dates to the 4th Century, B.C. A sifting project began in 2004 to remove artifacts from 9,000 tons of earth removed from the Temple Mount in the area known as Solomon’s stables. The dirt was dumped in the nearby Kidron Valley. Using wet sifting of dirt over a screen, the project has recovered more than 6,000 ancient coins. The five coins have been identified by coin collectors as Yehud coins, the first to be minted by Jewish authorities.

The coins are inscribed with the letters YHD, which reference the name for the Persian province of Yehud. The Persians ruled the kingdom during the time the coins were minted. These coins would have been made around the time when the Jews were allowed by Persian king Cyrus to return to Jerusalem in 538 B.C. to build the temple.

Standard of Cyrus the Great