Binyamin Elkin with the 2,000 year old coin.
Binyamin Elkin with the 2,000 year old coin.Credit: Spokesperson of Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage

Binyamin Elkin, the six-year-old son of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Ze'ev Elkin discovered a 2,000-year-old coin from the City of David excavations at the President's Residence on Thursday.

Minister Elkin's family came to President Reuven Rivlin's sukkah to participate in activities arranged by the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage. One of the activities offered is sifting the soil from archaeological digs from the City of David and ancient Jerusalem.

"They poured out [the soil] from the sack, I started to sort the pieces of mud and search and suddenly I pulled out something that was round and metal. They told me it was a coin from the era of the Great Revolt (the First Jewish-Roman War). I was really excited," Binyamin said.

The coin was minted in Jerusalem by the Jews about 2,000 years ago during the years of the Great Revolt against the Romans between 66 and 70 AD. The inscription "For the Liberty of Zion" appears in ancient Hebrew on coins from the Great Revolt.

The coin which Binyamin discovered, as well as other findings revealed during the sifting activity will be cleaned and examined by archaeologists.

The Ir David Foundation, which oversees the archaeological soil screening throughout the year at Emek Tzurim National Park, stated: "We're happy that the public has the opportunity to take an active part in revealing the past of ancient Jerusalem, and tangibly connecting to our history in our capital of Jerusalem. We invite everyone to come visit the City of David National Park and participate in the archaeological experience in the Tzurim Valley."