Yoav Farhi E-mail: yoav.farhi@mail.huji.ac.il Ph.D. Dissertation topic: The coinage of Gaza in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Advisors: Prof. Yoram Tsafrir, Dr. Leah Di Segni (The Hebrew University) and Prof. Alla Kushnir-Stein (Tel-Aviv University)

Abstract:

The city of Gaza has never undergone a thorough archaeological investigation, nor do the historical sources provide much information about the city during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. A detailed study of the coinage minted in the city stands to fill this gap by leading to a better understanding of the true identity and character of the city and its population in the periods under discussion.

The principal goals of the research are: To compile a scientific corpus of all the types and subtypes of the coins minted in Gaza during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, and to examine their different numismatic aspects; and to study the historical, cultural and economic aspects which may be deduced from an analysis of the coins.

The methodology employed in this research is stepwise. First I will collect and review the information published until now with respect to the coins minted in Gaza during the periods in question. These sources include scientific books and papers as well as sales lists and catalogues. I will reexamine published coins of known location. In the next phase of the study I will try to locate and document unpublished coins of unknown provenance, currently found in public collections (museums, universities, banks) and private collections in Israel and overseas. I will also document unpublished coins from excavations in Israel and neighboring countries, now located in various research institutions. All the coins will be classified and catalogued. Finally, the numismatic information thus collected, relating it to the archaeological and historical data, will be analyzed and interpreted.

The importance of this research lies primarily in the compilation, for the first time, of the full corpus of types and subtypes of coins minted in the city of Gaza during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, as well as in gathering and analyzing the scientific information relating to them. The study and research of the coins and the data gleaned from them should contribute to the understanding of the local coinage, economy and history of Gaza in these periods. Additionally, it will enable the creation of a more orderly numismatic chronology. The examination of the technical aspects of the coins and their designs, when compared to coins from other cities, as well as to other findings, will create a broader and more complete picture than the one available today of the city itself and its coinage. The results of this research will thus contribute to the study and understanding of city coins in the area as a whole.

Research Interests:

• Numismatics
• The archaeology of the land of Israel in the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods

Curriculum Vitae
List of Publications