New archaeological and numismatic evidence for the Persian destruction of Jerusalem in 614 CE

The recent discoveries related to the late Byzantine period in the northern part of the City of David contribute crucial evidence and shed new light on Jerusalem at the close of the Byzantine period. The location of a gold hoard found buried under the destruction debris of a large impressive building exposed in the excavations at the Giv'ati parking lot seems to imply that it was imperial money in the hands of an official authority, intended for public needs. This could have been the result of an emergency coinage - an extraordinary limited issue struck in Jerusalem under hasty conditions. Evaluation of the archeological and numismatic evidence strongly suggests that the destruction of this large Byzantine architectural complex should be associated with the outcome of the Persian invasion of Jerusalem in 614 CE.