Author: Andrea Garza
Not too long ago, towards the end of the 2nd century BC and the beginning of the 1st century BC, the inhabitants of Magdala began to show that they were a well-organized society, both politically and administratively. Their architecture and urban planning stand as evidence of this, with a well-structured port facilitating fishing, storage, and transportation activities. The city's buildings, such as the synagogue and ritual spaces, featured an effective construction and engineering system designed to prevent flooding during the rainy season. All of this was possible due to an economy that relied on various commercial, industrial, and agricultural activities, which grew over time. Thus, Magdala, also known as Taricheae in Greek, became one of the most prosperous cities on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, a place so significant that the lake came to be known as the Sea of Taricheae by some locals and travelers, according to the accounts of Pliny the Elder (Plin. Nat. 5.71).
With the development of cities and towns in Galilee, using coins became increasingly common and important for facilitating trade between cities, paying for services, taxes, materials, and more. This is not different from how we pay highway tolls when traveling from one region to another today. Coins became an essential part of the region's economy, trade, and politics, representing not only money in transactions but also the political control of the time.
The coins circulating through the streets of Magdala during the 1st century, when Jesus and his apostles traveled through Galilee on foot and by boat, were primarily Jewish bronze coins minted in Jerusalem and Tiberias.
Among them were those minted under the reign of Alexander Jannaeus, a Hasmonean king who, although he died in 76 BCE, left coins circulating for about 100 years more. Coins from Herod the Great, Agrippa, Pontius Pilate, and Antipas, the later minted in Tiberias, were also in circulation. Over the years, as governments changed, so did the coins.
In conclusion, Magdala stood out as a vibrant and well-organized city on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, from the end of the Hellenistic period to the end of the Roman period. Its urban and economic development, driven by a port that favored fishing and trade, demonstrates how its inhabitants made the most of their environment and other activities. The coins that circulated through its streets facilitated daily transactions an reflected the political power of the time. All this made Magdala a prosperous and lively place, where history left an important mark that we can still discover through its archaeology.
