Archaeologists exploring an artifact-rich site just south of the Temple Mount have discovered a collection of bronze coins that were minted by Jews rebelling against Roman rule. Unlike most such coins, these date to the fourth and final year of the rebellion, which corresponds to 69-70 CE on the Gregorian Calendar. In the year 70, the Romans succeeded in crushing the revolt and destroyed the Second Temple. Amanda Borschel-Dan reports:
The recently discovered bronze coins are remnants left by hidden Jewish residents of besieged . . . Jerusalem, who sought refuge in the seven-by-fourteen-meter cave [where the coins were found] in 66-70 CE. . . . They are decorated with Jewish symbols, including the four plant species associated with the holiday of Sukkot—palm, myrtle, citron, and willow—and a chalice that may have been used by priests in the Temple. The coins display a paleo-Hebrew inscription, [that is, one written in the older script that was then used alongside the later Hebrew alphabet], which shifted—arguably reflecting the mood of the rebels—during the revolt from earlier years’ “For the freedom of Zion” to Year Four’s “For the redemption of Zion.” . . .
The coins were found alongside broken pottery vessels, including jars and cooking pots. A Hasmonean-period [3rd and 2nd centuries BCE] layer is found at the base of the cave, and these finds were uncovered directly above. The cave, said [the lead archaeologist Eilat] Mazar, was undisturbed since the Second Temple period, creating a “time capsule” of Jewish life during the revolt. . . .
The bronze-coin find is remarkable in that until today, most of the Jewish Revolt coin finds have dated to its second year, when the Romans made great strides against the Jewish rebels.
Read more on Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/rare-trove-of-bronze-jewish-revolt-coins-unearthed-near-temple-mount