New Archaeological Evidence from Judah Maccabee’s Battlefield

New archaeological discoveries in the hills south of Jerusalem are casting fresh light on one of the most dramatic chapters in Jewish history. A recent survey led by Dr. Dvir Raviv of Bar-Ilan University has uncovered rare military artifacts that may represent the first physical evidence from a battlefield fought by Judah Maccabee and his forces more than 2,100 years ago. The findings, currently being published in Israel Numismatic Research, come from Horbat Bet Zecharia, a site long identified with the ancient village of Bet Zecharia, where the Maccabees clashed with the Seleucid army in 163 BCE.

A battlefield described in ancient texts

The battle of Bet Zecharia is described in 1 and 2 Maccabees and later by the Jewish historian Josephus. According to these sources, the Seleucid army advanced north along the ancient Jerusalem–Hebron road, deploying war elephants against the Hasmonean rebels. One of the most memorable moments describes Judah’s brother, Eleazar, charging beneath an elephant, killing it, and losing his own life when the animal collapsed on him.

The battle ultimately ended in a Seleucid victory, followed by a siege of the Temple in Jerusalem. While historians have long accepted that a battle took place in the Bet Zecharia area, until now there had been no clear archaeological evidence tying the site directly to the events described in the texts.

Rare military artifacts from the Hellenistic period

Dr. Raviv’s survey documented 92 coins and hundreds of pottery fragments dating to the Persian, Hellenistic, and Hasmonean periods. Among these finds, four objects stood out: three cast lead sling bullets and a bronze coin minted in the city of Side, in Asia Minor (modern-day southern Turkey).

“These are objects you only expect to find in a military context,” Raviv explains. “You don’t find Seleucid military equipment in a small rural village unless an army actually fought there.”

The lead sling bullets found at the site: Photo by Shahar Cohen

The sling bullets are typical Hellenistic ammunition. One bears the winged thunderbolt of Zeus, a common symbol on such projectiles. Across Israel, similar bullets have been found at only about twenty sites, almost all of them known battlefields, siege locations, or military forts.

Crucially, the bullets were found clustered on the north-western slope of the hill,  indicating that they were fired by the Seleucid forces advancing along the road south-east of the site, as described in the historical sources, passed over the settlement, and landed on its opposite side.

A coin that strengthens the historical picture

The bronze coin found at the site adds another important layer to the story. Minted in the city of Side, the coin features the Greek goddess Athena wearing a Corinthian helmet on one side, and a pomegranate, the symbol of Side, on the other.

Side was known as a major recruitment center for mercenaries serving in Seleucid armies. While similar coins have been found elsewhere in Israel, this is the first time a Side coin has been uncovered at a location directly associated with a documented Hasmonean battlefield.

“Its presence alongside the sling bullets reflects military activity that fits remarkably well with the historical descriptions of the battle,” Raviv notes.

The discoveries do not resolve every historical debate. They do not determine the exact movements of troops, the size of the armies, or the precise tactics used. Their significance lies elsewhere.

The Meaning

For the first time, material evidence from the ground independently supports the historicity ofthe early Maccabees’ battles described in ancient Jewish sources.

“This is the first time we may be holding objects that came from one of Judah Maccabee’s battlefields,” says Raviv. “It’s a moment where text, landscape, and archaeology begin to speak to each other.”

For scholars and the wider public alike, the finds offer a rare and tangible connection to the events commemorated during Chanukah, and to a pivotal struggle that helped shape Jewish history.