Phase 2c of the Ophel excavation was extra special, as this was the first excavation to be funded entirely by Herbert W. Armstrong College. Twelve Armstrong College students and AIBA staff were involved in this three-month dig. Dr. Mazar and her team broke ground on phase 2c on January 2018, concluding the excavation in March. Together with Dr. Mazar’s staff, AIBA is currently processing and documenting the remainder of finds from this phase in preparation for the final publication report. A detailed synopsis of the major discoveries from all three phases of the Ophel excavations can be found in our article, “Discoveries of Eilat Mazar: The Ophel.”
Major Discovery
Jewish rebellion coins: In March 2018, in a special announcement for the Jewish holiday of Pesach (Passover), Dr. Mazar announced the discovery of dozens of Jewish Revolt coins from c.e. 66-70 found during the excavation. Mazar’s discovery is one of the largest caches of Year 4 (c.e. 70) coins ever found. To learn more, read Brent Nagtegaal’s article, “Rare Jewish Revolt Coins Discovered in Jerusalem Cave.”
