73

A Preliminary Overview of Arab-Byzantine

Coins from Excavations in Israel

Gabriela Bijovsky
1


While the study of the typology and chronology of Arab-Byzantine coinage has been extensively
developed over the last fifty years, publications of these assemblages from within an archaeological
context are relatively meager. This is especially relevant in Israel, where research by Israeli scholars
produced a number of fundamental studies in the field: Shraga Qedar's analysis of copper coinage in
Syria, Rachel Milstein's discussion of the Irbid hoard, and Qedar, Berman and Amitai-Preiss's study
of coins minted in Scythopolis and Gerasa, all of which discuss the typology and chronology of the
material but remain outside the archaeological context.
2
Generally, the relationship between Arab-
Byzantine coins and their archaeological context in which they were found, appears only
sporadically as catalogue entries in numismatic reports.

In a comprehensive study published in 1999, Foss analyzed the implications of such stratified
contexts when attempting to establish a chronology of Arab-Byzantine types.
3
This study however,
based on a number of sites in Syria and Jordan, included no tangible data from Israel. Furthermore,
Foss's conclusions in terms of chronology proved to be frustrating due to the poor evidence of
indicative archaeological data. Additional information on this subject was provided in 2005 by
Goodwin, who brought our attention to a group of 31 unpublished seventh-century coins from the
PEF collections (21 Byzantine and 10 Arab-Byzantine), including a number from excavations in
Israel: Jerusalem, Nessana, Gezer and Kafr Harib.
4
More recently, in his catalogue of the
Dumbarton Oaks collection, Foss dedicated an entire chapter to Arab-Byzantine hoards and coins
recovered from excavations, where many published finds from Israel are indeed cited.
5


This paper aims to show the incidence of Arab-Byzantine coins in Israel as registered at the Coin
Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). This department is dedicated to the
identification, registration and scientific publication of coins from excavations. The collection
currently houses more than 800,000 coins, with more than 150,000 identified specimens and it is
continually growing with finds from excavations conducted by the IAA. The majority of coins are
single finds but there are also more than 250 hoards of gold, silver and copper coins dating from the
Persian period (fifth-fourth centuries BCE) until the end of the Ottoman period. This collection not
only constitutes one of the largest scientific numismatic computerized databases of its kind in the
world, but its exceptional importance lies in the fact that the provenance of almost every coin is

1
Curator at the Coin Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem, Israel. gabriela@israntique.org.il. All
photographs are by Clara Amit of the I.A.A. and the map was prepared with the kind help of Danny Syon.
2
S. Qedar, 'Copper Coinage of Syria in the Seventh and Eighth Century A.D.', Israel Numismatic Journal 10 (1988
1989) 2739; R. Milstein, 'A Hoard of Early Arab Figurative Coins', Israel Numismatic Journal 10 (19881989) 326;
N. Amitai-Preiss, A. Berman and S. Qedar, 'The Coinage of Scythopolis-Baysn and Gerasa-Jerash', Israel Numismatic
Journal 13 (19941999) 133151.
3
C. Foss, 'The Coinage of Syria in the Seventh Century: the Evidence of Excavations', Israel Numismatic Journal 13
(19941999) 119132.
4
A. Goodwin, 'Seventh-Century Coins in the Palestine Exploration Fund Collections', Palestine Exploration Quarterly
137/1 (2005) 6576.
5
C. Foss, Arab-Byzantine Coins, an Introduction, with a Catalogue of the Dumbarton Oaks Collection, Dumbarton
Oaks Byzantine Publications 12, Washington D.C., 2008.
74

known and recorded. Therefore, it is ideally suited for the study of coin types, distribution patterns
and circulation.

It was on this basis that I was invited to present an overview of Arab-Byzantine coin finds from
Israel. The following analysis is still only preliminary and will likely raise more questions than
answers. Coins of this period are catalogued in the IAA database using a specially designed
thesaurus according to the following classifications: Arab-Byzantine for the Pseudo-Byzantine
series and Umayyad pre-reformed coinage (referring to Abd al-Malik's monetary reform in
696/697) including both the Imperial Image and Standing Caliph series. From the IAA database 638
coins have been retrieved belonging to the first group and 309 coins from the second. At the
moment the proportions within the two series in the second group are unclear, but my impression is
that the Imperial Image series is more abundant than the Standing Caliph. It should be noted that I
had no possibility to re-examine the coins before writing this paper, consequently, the
identifications assigned to some of them in the database may be inaccurate.

Accordingly, a distribution map was prepared based on the search results (Fig. 1). The map shows
only sites excavated by the IAA where more than 10 specimens were recovered.
6
Sites located in
Gaza and the West Bank do not appear since they are not recorded in the IAA database. From the
map the following observations can be inferred:


1. Coin finds are spread over the regions of Galilee, Judea and the Hills of Judea. Arab-Byzantine
coins have been found in large quantities at Bet Shean/Scythopolis, Jerusalem and Bet Guvrin
the southernmost site appearing on the map. A group of 9 Arab-Byzantine coins has been
published by Bellinger and Goodwin from excavations at Nessana in the Negev.
7
This town
however, is not included on the map since it was not excavated by the IAA and thus, these coins
are not recorded in the database.

2. The incidence of coin finds correlates to centers of Umayyad administration and/or mints:
concentrations of coins are grouped in the areas of Bet Shean/Scythopolis and Tiberias which
correspond to jund el-Urdunn. Another cluster is noticed in the areas of Ramla-Lod-Yuvna and
Jerusalem, corresponding to jund Filastin.

3. The large number of coins appearing in Bet Shean/Scythopolis excludes material found by the
combined IAA-Hebrew University Bet Shean project, where hundreds of coins of this period
have been discovered. Unfortunately, this material is still being processed and identified and it
is not yet available. In any case my impression is that once the results of this project are added
to the database, the proportions between the Arab-Byzantine groups will not change
dramatically.

4. The exceptionally low number of coin finds from Caesarea and the complete absence of Arab-
Byzantine coins from Ashqelon are difficult to explain.
8
In fact, the number of contemporary
Byzantine coins at both sites is also remarkably low.
9
It is not clear if these cities were
completely abandoned after falling into Arab hands in 641. But since they are both recorded

6
Totals of coins in the IAA database are as of September 2011.
7
A.R. Bellinger, 'Coins', in H.D. Colt, Excavations at Nessana. Vol. 1. London, 1962, 7075.; for Goodwin see fn. 4.
8
Only six Pseudo-Byzantine coins and seven Umayyad pre-reform coins found in Caesarea are registered at the IAA
database. The latter include three coins from the mint of Damascus, three from Tiberias and one of the Caliph Standing
type from Iliya.
9
Twelve coins of Constans II found in Caesarea are registered at the IAA database, one of them is dated after 660; only
two coins are registered from excavations in Ashqelon. No coins of Constantine IV have been so far found in
excavations conducted by the IAA in these two sites.
75

amongst those cities ravaged by the Byzantines during the civil war between Ibn Zubayr and
Marwan in 684,
10
it must be assumed that they were to a certain extent still functioning as
settlements, implying some sort of coinage in circulation.

5. Pseudo-Byzantine coins are the predominant group on most of the sites and in few cases they
appear exclusively (e.g. Ben Shemen and Apollonia). On the other hand, on only two sites:
Nabratein and Rehov, do coins of the Imperial Image series constitute the majority.




Fig. 1.Map of distribution of Arab-Byzantine coins from the IAA database

10
al-Baldhuri II.11, translated by Philip Khri Hitti, (1916), 219220.
76



During queries to the IAA database in order to prepare this map, I was able to note that, in all cases
-with the exception of Rehov - official Byzantine copper coins minted after 640, particularly those
of Constans II, were also found. Quantities of coins of this emperor decrease significantly after 660
while copper coins of Constantine IV from the mints of Syracuse and Constantinople are very rare.
Copper coins of Justinian II are totally absent from circulation in Israel. Only one solidus is
recorded from the Rehov gold hoard which will be mentioned later.

There are two main areas where provenanced material can make important contributions to the
research of Arab-Byzantine coins:
1) The geographical distribution of coin types, which may shed light on the locations of their mints,
especially for those types which bear no mint names.
2) Find spots of coins in a site and their relationship to other artifacts and stratigraphy, which could
provide clues relevant to the internal chronology of Arab-Byzantine issues.

I will analyze these two areas by comparing coin finds from three sites, each of them located in a
different region of Israel: the town of Bet Guvrin in the southern Judean hills, the synagogues of
Rehov in the Jordan Valley and of Nabratein in the Upper Galilee.

Bet Guvrin:
The area of Bet Guvrin (Bayt Jibrn), where extensive excavations were conducted, was actively
involved in the events related to the Arab conquest of Palestine and it eventually became one of the
ten towns of the new province Jund Filastin.
11
This is reflected by the dramatic increase in the
number of coins dating from 640 CE until the end of the seventh century recovered at the site. A
total of 236 coins are attributed to this short period; their breakdown is as follows: 64 coins of
Constans II dating up to 660; a decanummium of Constantine IV; 134 Pseudo-Byzantine coins and
another 24 which could be either Constans II or Arab imitations; four coins of Imperial Image types
and nine coins of the Standing Caliph type.
12


Among the Pseudo-Byzantine coins, a distinctive group consists of eight coins struck on square
shaped flans cut from old Byzantine folles. Some of these coins show that the dies have been struck
in order to be displayed as rhomboid shaped coins and not as square (Fig. 2).

2. Square shaped coins from Bet Guvrin (left: IAA 113339, 3.59g; right: IAA 113472, 3.10g )

Four coins are attributed to the Imperial Image group, although with some reservations due to their
bad state of preservation. They include: a rectangular flan coin bearing Arabic inscriptions (a worn
Muhammad on the obverse and bad on the reverse), one al-waf lillh coin, one 'Pseudo-
Damascus' and the last a coin minted in Bet Shean/Scythopolis which seems to be the southernmost
known-provenanced find of this type so far. Of nine coins of the Standing Caliph type, three are

11
Excavations were conducted by A. Kloner and M. Cohen during the 1990's on behalf of the IAA.
12
The coins were first identified by N. Amitai-Preiss. Final identifications and coin report were performed by the
author. See G. Bijovsky, 'The Byzantine Coins from Bet Guvrin', in M. Cohen and A. Kloner. Bet Guvrin I. The
Roman Byzantine Bath-House. Excavations in Areas 250, 650 and 750. (IAA Reports). Forthcoming.
77

from Iliya, four from Yubna and two from Damascus. In addition to the coin types are two coins
bearing countermarks with the Arabic inscription "bi-Ludd", one on a coin of Constans II (Fig. 3,
two countermarks on reverse) and the other on a Pseudo-Byzantine coin. Another Pseudo-Byzantine
coin bears a countermark which is almost certainly Schulze and Goodwin's Type A2.
13
Four of the
six examples so far known come from Israel, thus, our coin seems to confirm the local origin of this
countermark.


Fig. 3. Coin of Constans II with two bi-Ludd countermarks, found at Bet Guvrin
(IAA 113384, 4.30g.)

Rehov:
Remains of an ancient synagogue dating from the fourth to the mid-seventh century were
excavated.
14
No isolated copper coins of the period under discussion have been recovered but a
hoard of 14 copper coins was found, most of them belonging to the Imperial Image series.
15
This
hoard includes: two Pseudo-Byzantine coins, one of them is a 'Lazy S' type (whose attribution to
this series is now disputable); two Imperial Image coins from Damascus; five Pseudo-Damascus
(Fig. 4) and five al-waf lillh coins. A second hoard of 28 seventh-century Byzantine gold coins
together with fragments of a chancel screen, were accidentally found in the vicinity of the
synagogue; a description of the gold hoard and its implications in the chronology of the site will be
discussed below.


Fig.4. Pseudo-Damascus coin from the copper hoard at Rehov (IAA 10968, 4.60g)

Nabratein:
The coins relevant to this discussion are related to the final phase of the synagogue, dated from 564
CE to the end of the seventh century by the excavators (a dedication inscribed on a lintel).
16
No
coins of Heraclius nor Constans II have been discovered, but interestingly, the influx of coins to the
site increases significantly with an impressive group of 34 Arab-Byzantine coins. Twenty-eight of
them belong to the Imperial Image series which constitute the largest numismatic group discovered

13
W. Schulze and T. Goodwin, 'Countermarking in Seventh Century Syria', ONS Newsletter 183, (2005) 2356.
14
Excavations were conducted by F. Vitto in 19741980 on behalf of the Israel Department of Antiquities and
Museums.
15
The coins of this hoard will be published by N. Amitai-Preiss; identifications were refined by Ingrid and Wolfgang
Schulze.
16
E. Meyers and C. Meyers, Excavations at Ancient Nabratein: Synagogue and Environs, Meiron Excavation Project
Volume VI, Winona Lake, Indiana, 2009.
78

at Nabratein and a unique find of its type not only in the Upper Galilee but in Israel.
17
All the Arab-
Byzantine coins were found mainly in two spots: in fill layers accumulated on the floor surface (L
1001 and L 2001) and in the foundations of this floor (L 2017). The fact that no coins of the
Standing Caliph series have been discovered, suggests a more specific terminus post quem for the
abandonment of the synagogue to c.685-696/697.


Fig. 5. Pseudo-Byzantine coin from Nabratein with two countermarks (IAA 80468, 3.24g)

Of the five Pseudo-Byzantine coins one of them bears two countermarks: a monogram on the
obverse and a star on the reverse (Fig. 5).
18
The homogeneity of the Imperial Image coin types and
their fabric suggest a common source.
19
The breakdown of the coins is as follows: four from
Damascus, nine Pseudo-Damascus and 13 al-waf lillh. In addition are two coins from Tiberias,
both belong to the rare type with the mint name on the obverse and enigmatic legends on the
reverse.
20


Distribution of mints:
Although modest in scope, the sample based on these three sites provides some evidence about the
sources of currency in each region and allows us to suggest some patterns of monetary distribution
(Fig. 6). The distinctive numismatic features at each site correspond to the general picture presented
in the distribution map: coins and apparently also some countermarks, such as the 'bi-Ludd',
circulated in areas close to the mint that produced them. This statement is difficult to apply
however, to the Pseudo-Byzantine coins which bear no mint names and are common on most sites.
An exception are the square flan coins, which appear in our sample only at Bet Guvrin, suggesting
that they were produced somewhere in jund Filastin. The picture that emerges from the Imperial
Image and Standing Caliph series is that of localized circulation. Consequently, most coins of the
Standing Caliph at Bet Guvrin are from the jund Filastin mints of Yubna and Iliya. On the other
hand no coins minted in jund Filastin were discovered in the other two sites, located under the
jurisdiction of jund el-Urdunn.

Moreover, the high incidence of 'Pseudo-Damascus' and al waf-lillh coins, side by side with coins
from Damascus at Rehov and Nabratein, reinforces the suggestion that the place these two groups
were minted is located somewhere in northern Israel or Jordan. The presence of single coins from
the mints of Scythopolis, 'Pseudo-Damascus' and al waf-lillh at Bet Guvrin may be explained by
the fact that so far with the exception of the rare issues from Jerusalem and Diospolis no mints
striking the Imperial Image have been attributed to jund Filastin; therefore, coins from the northern
mints circulated to more distant areas in the south.


17
G. Bijovsky, 'Numismatic Report', in E. Meyers and C. Meyers, Excavations at Ancient Nabratein: Synagogue and
Environs, Meiron Excavation Project Volume VI, Winona Lake, Indiana, 2009, 374395.
18
See fn. 17, p. 391, No. 91, erroneously attributed to Constans II. For countermarks see fn. 13, Nos. 9a (usually struck
on the reverse) and No. A4a.
19
Corrections to my identifications as they appear in the publication were suggested by Ingrid and Wolfgang Schulze
and Tony Goodwin to whom I am indebted. Corrections are as follows: No. 94 is Pseudo-Damascus, Nos. 95, 97, 106,
110, 117 and 120 are al-waf lillh coins and No. 98 is a 'Lazy S' type.
20
C. Karukstis, 'Another Visit to Meshorer's Enigmatic Coin', Supplement to ONS Journal 193 (Autumn 2007), 4042.
79





Mint/Type Bet Guvrin Rehov copper
hoard
Nabratein
Pseudo-Byzantine 126 2 (one 'Lazy S') 6 (one 'Lazy S')
Pseudo-Byzantine Square shaped 8
Countermark reading bi-Ludd (Lydda) 2
Imperial Image? Square shaped 1
Imperial Image Damascus 2 4
Imperial Image Pseudo-Damascus 1? 5 9
Imperial Image al waf-lillh 1 5 13
Imperial Image Tiberias 2
Imperial Image Scythopolis 1?
Standing Caliph Damascus 2
Standing Caliph Iliya 3
Standing Caliph Yubna 4

Fig.6. Distribution of types at the three sites


Chronology:
The archaeological and numismatic evidence from Bet Guvrin does not, unfortunately, provide any
new elements to resolve the internal chronology of Arab-Byzantine coin types. Nabratein provides
more useful stratigraphic data clearly showing that both Pseudo-Byzantine and Imperial Image
coins appear together in the same archaeological context in the loci beneath and above the floor of
the last phase of the synagogue.

The evidence from Rehov however, also constitutes an enigmatic test case which carries serious
chronological implications regarding the time of abandonment of the synagogue. The
archaeological evidence suggests that the building collapsed in a sudden event and was never
reused.
21
According to the excavator, the most suitable candidate causing the destruction of the
synagogue is the earthquake of 659/660, which was strongly felt along the Jordan valley.
22
Pottery
and lamps also point to a date during the mid-seventh century, but the coins in the copper hoard
remain problematic since most issues belong to the Imperial Image series, not struck before 660.
Assuming that the coins were hidden before this earthquake, would mean that their date of issue
predates 660! This presumption calls into question the whole chronology of this series.

But things become even more complicated. I mentioned a hoard of 28 gold Byzantine solidi, a stray
find whose exact archaeological context is unknown, discovered a few meters south of the
synagogue and therefore considered to be connected with this building.
23
It consists of 15 coins of

21
Walls and pillars fell down and lay oriented eastwards, the polycandela hanging from the ceiling fell onto the floor.
At the time of the destruction event restoration works on the floor mosaics were taking place: piles of tesserae arranged
according to color were uncovered in the central nave (Fanny Vitto, personal communication).
22
K.W. Russell, 'The Earthquake Chronology of Palestine and Northwest Arabia from the 2
nd
through the Mid-8
th

Century A.D.' BASOR 260, (1985) 3758.
23
Ten of these coins are registered at the IAA and the rest remained in the possession of the kibbutz member who found the
coins. The hoard was first published by Paltiel and I have refined the identifications towards publication for the final report
80

Heraclius, eight of Constans II, four of Constantine IV and one solidus of Justinian II dated to
686/687. To sum up, not only do seven coins in the gold hoard postdate year 660, but in fact, both
hoards copper and gold are contemporary! If this is the case, then the earthquake of 659/660
could not in any way have been the reason for the destruction of the synagogue. Since we know of
no other earthquakes in the area until 749 and there are no archaeological remains at the site dating
to the eight century, the circumstances and date of the sudden destruction of the synagogue remain
unclear.

The Rehov case constitutes an example where substantial archaeological and numismatic data, even
though well recorded and intrinsically related, do not complement our present assumptions of the
chronologies of Arab-Byzantine coinage. Further research based on the numismatic evidence from
other sites struck by the 660 earthquake, such as Bet Shean, Hammat Gader and Tiberias, is needed
to corroborate the picture presented by the site in Rehov. But, before attempting to accomplish this
ambitious project, there remains much technical work to do. My first step will be to recheck all the
Arab-Byzantine coins in the IAA database in order to refine and update their identifications and
second, to identify new assemblages from indicative archaeological contexts that may shed light on
some of the issues here discussed. Results of this effort will be hopefully presented for the next
round table.

of the excavations. See A. Paltiel, 'A Hoard of Byzantine Gold Coins from the City of Rehob', Israel Numismatic Bulletin
3, (19681969) 101106, (Hebrew).