Rare gold coin of Egyptian Queen Berenice II discovered in Jerusalem

A gold coin dating back more than 2,200 years has been found during excavations on the outskirts of the Old City of Jerusalem, with archaeologists describing it as the first of its type to be found outside Egypt. 

The dig, at the City of David archaeological park which surrounds the city walls, shows the Ptolemaic Queen Berenice II; while the coin itself is smaller than a fingernail in size, it is almost entirely pure gold. Only twenty of these coins are known to exist and this is the first known to have been found during an archaeological excavation. .

Rivka Langler, who made the discovery, said: “I was sifting the excavation soil when suddenly I saw something shiny. I picked it up and realized it was a gold coin. At first, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but within seconds I was running excitedly through the excavation site. I’ve been excavating in the City of David for two years, and this is the first time I’ve found gold! I always saw other excavators discovering special finds, and I kept waiting for my moment – and now it finally arrived!”

Berenice, the wife of Ptolemy III of Egypt, reigned from 246-222 BCE. The small denominational quarter-drachma, bearing her portrait, was likely minted in the dynastic capital of Alexandria, and is thought to have been part of a special series given as bonuses to Egyptian soldiers returning from the Third Syrian War, a conflict between the two dominant Hellenistic powers at the time, the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt and the Seleucid Kingdom of Syria. Israel effectively operated as a borderland between the two empires – the Ptolemies controlled it for a century until it was captured by the Seleucids in 198 BCE. The latter would only properly control the region for some 40 years, until a campaign of severe repression sparked the Maccabean revolt and the establishment of the Jewish Hasmonean kingdom, commemorated to this day by the festival of Chanukah.

The obverse of the coin depicts Berenice as a Hellenistic queen, wearing a diadem and veil, with a necklace around her neck. The reverse shows a cornucopia, an ancient symbol of prosperity and fertility, flanked by two stars.

A surrounding Greek inscription reads “of Queen Berenice” is rare, suggesting she appears here not as a consort, but possibly as a ruler in her own right.

Women appeared occasionally on Ptolemaic coins for nearly 300 years (305–30 BCE), the most famous of whom was Cleopatra. However, this is one of the earliest cases of a Ptolemaic queen appearing on a coin with such a title during her lifetime – possibly evidence of her exceptional status and political power.

Dr. Robert Kool, head of the numismatics (the study of coins, bank notes and medals) department at the Israel Antiquities Authority, and Dr. Haim Gitler, chief curator of archaeology and curator of numismatics at the Israel Museum, added: “As far as we know the coin is the only one of its kind ever discovered outside Egypt, which was the centre of Ptolemaic rule.”

The Minister of Heritage, Amihai Eliyahu, added: “Jerusalem never ceases to surprise. The rare coin from the City of David may be a small find, but it carries great significance for understanding Jerusalem.”

The discovery of the coin, along with other gold jewelry found in the Givati Parking Lot excavation, will be presented to the public as part of the 26th Annual City of David Research Conference, taking place in early September.