COINAGE OF BIBLICAL LOCATIONS - VIRTUAL MUSEUM
Although the Bible is not intended as a book of history or geography, it is set within a real historical context and the events described it in took place in real geographic locations. In fact, where verifiable events and real locations have been compared to the Biblical record, the Bible has yet to be found in error. Countless geographic locations are mentioned in the Bible, some of these places (such as Jerusalem and Rome) are still populated and active cities, others are in ruin or have been lost to history altogether. The cities, villages and regions mentioned span a vast area from Spain in the west, to Italy, North Africa, Greece, Asia Minor and the Middle East, all the way to Babylon in the east. Many of these locations minted coins and thankfully many of these coins are readily available today.
It is often possible to trace a trip taken by a Biblical personality, for example in Luke 7-8 Christ moved from Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, across the sea by boat to the region of Gadara where He encountered a demon possessed man living among the tombs. One can follow the Apostle Paul from city to city as he spread the Gospel to the Roman world. All seven cities in Asia Minor addressed by the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation minted coins. Our link to these places and people are the coins that they left behind.
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ANCIENT SICILY SYRACUSE MINT TIMOLEON BRONZE HEMILITRON |
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344-336 BC |
24mm 11.0g | SG-1192 |
"Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days." Acts 28:12
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ANCIENT GREECE MACEDONIA PHILIP III SILVER DRACHM |
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323-317 BC |
17mm 3.9g | SG-6750 |
"And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them." Acts 16:9-10
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ANCIENT GREECE ATTICA ATHENS SILVER TETRADRACHM |
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449-413 BC |
25mm 17.0g | SG-2526 |
"So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: 'Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious."' Acts 17:22
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ANCIENT GREECE CORINTHIA CORINTH SILVER STATER |
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345-307 BC |
21mm 8.3g | SG-2629v |
"After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla." Acts 18:1-2
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ANCIENT GREECE MACEDONIA THESSALONICA AE 20 |
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158-149 BC |
20mm 8.6g | SG-1466 |
"But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds." Acts 17:13
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ANCIENT GREECE MACEDONIA PHILIPPI AE 18 |
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27 BC - AD 14 |
18mm 5.2g | SGI-32 |
"And from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days." Acts 16:12
The ruins of Philippi
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ANCIENT GREECE IONIA EPHESUS AR DRACHM |
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202-133 BC |
17mm 3.2g | SG-4387 |
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ANCIENT GREECE IONIA EPHESUS AR TETRADRACHM |
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114 BC |
26-29mm 12.5g | SG-4393v |
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 1:1
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ANCIENT GREECE PONTOS AMISOS AE 20 |
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120-63 BC |
20mm 8.8g | SG-3643 |
"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." I Peter 1:1
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ANCIENT GREECE CILICIA TARSUS AE 26 |
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164-27 BC |
26mm 15.8g | SG-5674 |
"Paul replied, 'I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people."' Acts 21:39
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CAPPADOCIA ARIDBARZANES I AR DRACHM |
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95-63 BC |
15mm 4.5g | SG-7302 |
"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." I Peter 1:1
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ROMAN SYRIA ANTIOCH DOMITIAN AR TETRADRACHM |
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AD 89-90 |
25mm 14.3g | SGI-871 |
"So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians." Acts 11:25-26
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ANCIENT PHOENICIA ARADUS MINT AR TETRADRACHM |
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118-117 BC |
26-28mm 14.8g | SG-5991v |
"And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail." Acts 21:2
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ANCIENT PHOENICIA SIDON MINT BODASHTART AR EIGHTH SHEKEL |
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384-370 BC |
8mm .7g | SNG-1438 |
"And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured." Luke 6:17-18
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ANCIENT PHOENICIA TYRE MINT AE 15 |
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AD 104-105 |
15mm 3.0g | PLANT-1874 |
"But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you." Matthew 11:22
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ANCIENT PHOENICIA PTOLEMAIS (AKKO) MINT SELEUCID PERIOD AE 16 |
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200-100 BC |
16mm 3.6g | SG-6046 |
"When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day." Acts 21:7
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THE DECAPOLIS GADARA TIBERIUS CAESAR AE 18 |
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AD 29-30 |
18mm 6.5g | SNG-1291 |
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THE DECAPOLIS GADARA CLAUDIUS CAESAR AE 16 |
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AD 41-54 |
16mm 4.2g | SNG-1294 |
"Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes*, which is opposite Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, 'What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.' For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, 'What is your name?' And he said, 'Legion,' for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned." Luke 8:26-33 *Gadarenes in some manuscripts.
Ruins of Gadara with Sea of Galilee in the distance
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JUDAEA TIBERIAS TRAJAN AE 14 |
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AD 98-117 |
14mm 2.6g | SNG-1105 |
"Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks." John 6:23
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JUDAEA CAESAREA MARITIMA DOMITIAN AE 23 |
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AD 83 |
23mm 8.2g | HENDIN-1455 |
"On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him." Acts 21:8
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JUDAEA JOPPA PTOLEMAIC PERIOD AE 15 |
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323-201 BC |
15mm 2.0g | BMC-78 |
"Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity." Acts 9:36
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JUDAEA GAZA SELEUCID PERIOD AE 15 |
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201-164 BC |
15mm 2.6g | HENDIN-Not Listed |
"Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.' This is a desert place." Acts 8:26
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NABATAEAN PETRA MINT ARETAS IV & SHAQILAT 9 BC - AD 40 AE 18 |
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AD 39-40 |
18mm 3.3g | SNG-1438 |
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ROMAN SYRIA PETRA MINT HADRIAN AE 26 |
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AD 117-138 |
26mm 13.4g | HENDIN-895 (4th edition) |
"At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands." II Corinthians 11:32-33
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ANCIENT EGYPT PTOLEMY III AE 38 |
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246-221 BC |
38mm 40.4g | SG-7815 |
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ROMAN EGYPT ALEXANRDIA MINT NERO AR TETRADRACHM |
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AD 63-64 |
25mm 12.9g | SR-2001 |
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ROMAN EGYPT ALEXANRDIA MINT NERO AR TETRADRACHM |
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AD 65-66 |
25mm 13.1g | SR-2004 |
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ROMAN EGYPT ALEXANRDIA MINT GALBA AR TETRADRACHM |
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AD 68-69 |
24mm 13.6g | SR-2143 |
"Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures." Acts 18:24
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PARTHIAN EMPIRE ORODES II AR DRACHM |
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57-38 BC |
20mm 4.1g | SG-7440 |
"And they were amazed and astonished, saying, 'Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia.'" Acts 2:7-9
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