A lead projectile bearing the name of Tryphon, a Seleucid ruler who fought the Hasmoneans, was unveiled by the IDF’s Civil Administration on Sunday, on the eve of the first candle of Chanukah, evidence of the Hasmonean days in Judea.
The find, which was discovered at the Tel Zif site in the southern Hebron Mountains, is about three centimeters long, and clearly shows a Greek inscription bearing the name of the ruler Tryphon, who ruled the Seleucid kingdom between 145-138 BCE. The projectile also bears the symbol of the Greek god Zeus.
Head of Archeology at the Civil Administration, Hanania Hizmi said this discovery “joins a wealth of other finds discovered by the Civil Administration in recent years.”
“We continue to discover new finds that constitute another tier to the rich history that took place in the Judea and Samaria area hundreds and thousands of years ago,” he stated.
Diodotus Tryphon initially signed a pact with the Hasmonean rulers of Judea, but subsequently turned on them and attempted to attack Jerusalem. During his rule, the Hasmonean Jewish state achieved full independence.