Monday, 6th October 2008
T. S. N. Moorhead (British Museum)
A NUMISMATIC BIOGRAPHY OF TEL JEZREEL
Tel Jezreel was excavated over seven seasons from 1990 to 1997 by a joint British and Israeli team. The site itself is not well preserved, having suffered from the ravages of human activity on several occasions. This meant that stratigraphic and contextual evidence had been lost in many parts of the site. It also meant that the ceramic record consisted of mostly small abraded sherds. However, when the pottery is considered alongside the almost 300 coins found, on and around the tel, a picture of human activity emerges which is both plausible and intriguing. Furthermore, the coin record throws up some interesting questions for further consideration by historians and archaeologists.
Sam Moorhead is National Finds Adviser for Iron Age and Roman Coins at the British Museum.
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