In the U.S., routine traffic stops occasionally lead to drug busts or the discovery of counterfeit merchandise. In Israel, they can lead police to Roman artifacts plundered by 2nd-century Jewish rebels. Sharon Wrobel reports:
The archaeological finds were discovered last week in the trunk of a vehicle stopped by police in Jerusalem’s Musrara neighborhood after driving in the wrong direction up a one-way street. Experts at the Israel Antiquities Authority believe that the items were looted from a hidden complex in the Judean foothills that served as a refuge during the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132-136 CE.
Among the discoveries were two ornate, 2,000-year-old bronze censers used to burn ritual incense, which likely belonged to affluent Roman houses and temples. A bronze jug with a depiction of a Roman banqueting scene showing a reclining figure holding a jug of wine was also recovered. Other illicit finds include an ornate stone tripod bowl, Roman clay lamps, and hundreds of coins dating from the late Roman period.
Bronze artifacts are relatively rare finds in Israel as the metal was an expensive commodity, often melted down for reuse. Ancient bronze recoveries are usually discovered at archaeological sites where they were deliberately hidden, or in hiding complexes used after battle during the Bar Kokhba revolt, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Read more on Algemeiner: https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/15/jerusalem-car-trunk-seizure-reveals-bronze-artifacts-taken-by-bar-kochba-rebels-from-roman-soldiers/