Zev Orenstein

beneath the pilgrimage road, the ancient sewer system. Archaeologists find whole cooking pots, meaning the people who were down there were there for days, weeks, months, until the Romans find them all and kill them all. Now, the Romans were so proud of their conquest over Jerusalem that they meant to commemorate a coin.

Here's the Roman Emperor Vespasian, and on the coin you have a Roman legionnaire towering above, a Jewish woman on her knees crying. On the coin it says, Judea capta. Judea has been captured. And here you have the Arch of Titus in Rome. On the arch you have the temple treasures that were being marched out of Jerusalem and into Rome.

Here's the Roman Emperor Vespasian, and on the coin you have a Roman legionnaire towering above, a Jewish woman on her knees crying. On the coin it says, Judea capta. Judea has been captured. And here you have the Arch of Titus in Rome. On the arch you have the temple treasures that were being marched out of Jerusalem and into Rome.

Here's the Roman Emperor Vespasian, and on the coin you have a Roman legionnaire towering above, a Jewish woman on her knees crying. On the coin it says, Judea capta. Judea has been captured. And here you have the Arch of Titus in Rome. On the arch you have the temple treasures that were being marched out of Jerusalem and into Rome.

Now, along this road, along the pilgrimage road here, archaeologists find hundreds, if not thousands, of these small bronze coins dating back to the period from 66 to 70, the period known as the Great Revolt, the Great Jewish Revolt for freedom against the Roman occupation. And scholars have long wondered, why are they minting these coins? Because at that time, the coins were worthless.

Now, along this road, along the pilgrimage road here, archaeologists find hundreds, if not thousands, of these small bronze coins dating back to the period from 66 to 70, the period known as the Great Revolt, the Great Jewish Revolt for freedom against the Roman occupation. And scholars have long wondered, why are they minting these coins? Because at that time, the coins were worthless.

Now, along this road, along the pilgrimage road here, archaeologists find hundreds, if not thousands, of these small bronze coins dating back to the period from 66 to 70, the period known as the Great Revolt, the Great Jewish Revolt for freedom against the Roman occupation. And scholars have long wondered, why are they minting these coins? Because at that time, the coins were worthless.

They had no monetary value. And if they really wanted to fight the Romans, what should they have used the metal for? To make weapons. Why are they wasting it on a worthless currency? I want to show you one such coin. This coin here is 2,000 years old. Take a look at this here. 2,000 years old. And that coin... It says, in ancient Hebrew writing, for the freedom of Zion.

They had no monetary value. And if they really wanted to fight the Romans, what should they have used the metal for? To make weapons. Why are they wasting it on a worthless currency? I want to show you one such coin. This coin here is 2,000 years old. Take a look at this here. 2,000 years old. And that coin... It says, in ancient Hebrew writing, for the freedom of Zion.

They had no monetary value. And if they really wanted to fight the Romans, what should they have used the metal for? To make weapons. Why are they wasting it on a worthless currency? I want to show you one such coin. This coin here is 2,000 years old. Take a look at this here. 2,000 years old. And that coin... It says, in ancient Hebrew writing, for the freedom of Zion.

Zion, of course, is another name for Jerusalem. That coin represents a hope, a wish, a dream, and a prayer that one day the Jewish people will return to Jerusalem as sovereign. The words on that coin, for a free Jerusalem, they've come true. It took a little bit longer than they thought it would, but that hope, that wish, that dream, and that prayer is coming true before our eyes.

Zion, of course, is another name for Jerusalem. That coin represents a hope, a wish, a dream, and a prayer that one day the Jewish people will return to Jerusalem as sovereign. The words on that coin, for a free Jerusalem, they've come true. It took a little bit longer than they thought it would, but that hope, that wish, that dream, and that prayer is coming true before our eyes.

Zion, of course, is another name for Jerusalem. That coin represents a hope, a wish, a dream, and a prayer that one day the Jewish people will return to Jerusalem as sovereign. The words on that coin, for a free Jerusalem, they've come true. It took a little bit longer than they thought it would, but that hope, that wish, that dream, and that prayer is coming true before our eyes.

And there is a free Jerusalem today for people of all faiths and backgrounds. This is not just another piece of history. It's a continuation of a story that's been going on for thousands of years. The people who will walk this road in the future, it's their ancestors who walked on it 2,000 years ago, who worshiped the same God, had the same language, customs, traditions, and festivals. It's alive.

And there is a free Jerusalem today for people of all faiths and backgrounds. This is not just another piece of history. It's a continuation of a story that's been going on for thousands of years. The people who will walk this road in the future, it's their ancestors who walked on it 2,000 years ago, who worshiped the same God, had the same language, customs, traditions, and festivals. It's alive.

And there is a free Jerusalem today for people of all faiths and backgrounds. This is not just another piece of history. It's a continuation of a story that's been going on for thousands of years. The people who will walk this road in the future, it's their ancestors who walked on it 2,000 years ago, who worshiped the same God, had the same language, customs, traditions, and festivals. It's alive.

It's real. And we're bringing it back here in this excavation.

It's real. And we're bringing it back here in this excavation.

It's real. And we're bringing it back here in this excavation.

a 2,000-year-old ancient soapbox, the only one of its kind found in Jerusalem. And you can imagine when those millions of pilgrims are going up to the temple, you can imagine the likes of whom 2,000 years ago would get up here and preach a religious message, a political message, an ethical message. This is where it's happening, with the shops and stalls all along the way.