Israeli archaeologists have found coins dating back 1,000 years that were minted during the Judean Jewish rebellion against Roman rule in 132 CE.

One bronze ancient Hebrew coin was uncovered among 44 others at the Nahal Darga Nature Reserve during an excavation of caves by the Dead Sea.

The Israel Antiquities Authority said the discovery shows the “first evidence in the Judean Desert for the Maccabean revolt against the Greek Seleucid Kingdom”.

The coins were minted by Jewish authorities during the rebellion in an attempt to show defiance of the Roman rule and boost morale, the IAA explained.

One side of the coin includes a date palm with the name “Shimon” in ancient Hebrew, an apparent reference to Shimon Bar Kokhba, the leader of the revolt. The other side depicts a vine leaf with a surrounding inscription reading, “Year Two of the Freedom of Israel.”

The coin dates to the second year of the failed three year Jewish rebellion against Roman rule following the Roman repression of Jewish practice. The small wooden box, found in the Muraba‘at cave during the excavation is dated between 10 and 15 years before the uprising. 

The revolt led to mass killing and enslavement of the Jewish population, their exile from Jerusalem, and the renaming of Judea to Syria Palaestina.

Yoav Lerer, the director of the excavation, said: "The discovery reflects a specific moment in time, when we can imagine the owner concealing his fortune in the threat of war, hoping to return one day to retrieve his property".

The excavation was funded by the Israel Electric Corp., which is working to connect the nearby Druze holy site of Nabi Khadr to the national electricity grid.

The IAA hope ongoing excavations may reveal whether the Nahal Darga caves served as Bar Kokhba’s headquarters during the revolt that centred around the area of the Judean Desert.