Treasure hoard found near Jesus' Galilee site tied to forgotten Jewish uprising, archaeologists say
22 bronze coins dating to the 4th century A.D. were unearthed in an underground hiding complex at Hukok, offering rare evidence of hiding strategies during the Gallus Revolt near Capernaum.
Archaeologists in Israel have uncovered a hoard of 22 bronze coins dating to the 4th century A.D., hidden in tunnels beneath Hukok, a kibbutz in northern Israel. The find sits about three miles west of Capernaum, a town associated with Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee region. Volunteers excavating for tourism development helped reveal the coins, which the Israel Antiquities Authority described as a dramatic glimpse into how Jews sought to evade Roman rule during periods of unrest.
The coins were located in a small crevice at the end of a narrow tunnel inside an underground hiding complex. IAA researchers said the hoard appears to have been deliberately placed in a spot that was carefully planned, with the owners hoping to return to it when the danger had passed. The discovery underscores how hideouts were not isolated to a single uprising but were reused across generations. The hoard’s placement in a deep, winding tunnel suggests a long-term strategy for safeguarding valuables during times of crisis.
This hiding complex, however, predates and postdates the Gallus Revolt, offering a layered chronology of conflict in the region. IAA experts noted that the tunnels were connected to earlier uprisings as well, including the Great Revolt in the first century A.D. and the Bar-Kochba Revolt between 132 and 136 A.D. The IAA emphasized that the same site shows evidence of continued use long after those upheavals, revealing how communities adapted infrastructure for later dangers. This reuse, they said, highlights a pattern of long-term defense planning rather than a single episode of crisis.
The discovery sheds light on the Gallus Revolt, a lesser-known rebellion against Roman rule dated to 351–352 A.D. The IAA stressed that the Gallus Revolt has historically yielded relatively scant documentation, making the Hukok hoard potentially unique evidence of how hideouts functioned during that conflict. The Galilee region, where Hukok sits, is a landscape steeped in biblical history, and the area remains central to scholarly understanding of late antiquity in Israel.
Volunteers played a pivotal role in the excavation, and researchers described the moment as a significant communal education experience. Einat Ambar-Armon of the IAA noted that the project brought the public closer to its heritage and bolstered a sense of belonging to the past. IAA director Eli Esukido said Hukok should become a magnet for visitors from Israel and around the world, signaling a broader plan to make the site accessible while safeguarding its archaeological value. "We are working together so that the entire public can enjoy the hidden treasures of this site," he said.
The Hukok findings add depth to the historical landscape surrounding Jesus’ Galilee. While the coins themselves are not from Jesus’ era, their discovery near Capernaum reinforces the long, layered history of the Galilee region as a crossroads of culture, religion, and rebellion. The IAA indicated that the site’s public appeal could grow as archaeological work continues and as conservation and interpretive programs are developed for visitors.
The 4th-century hoard therefore provides a unique window into how Jewish communities prepared for, and perhaps hoped to recover from, upheaval in the late Roman period. The IAA plans to integrate the Hukok discovery into broader museum and tourism initiatives, inviting researchers and travelers alike to explore a site where the buried past is in dialogue with the present. The coins’ age places them well after the era traditionally associated with Jesus but within the broader historical canvas of Galilee’s tumultuous centuries, a canvas that continues to shape the region’s archaeological narratives.
