Persian and Hellenistic Administrative Building (PHAB), Tel Kedesh

When excavating Tel Kedesh, University of Michigan/University of Minnesota archaeologists found evidence of a large, previously unknown, building they termed the Persian and Hellenistic Administrative Building (PHAB). Evidence of grain storage, tax collection, and over 2,000 bullae found inside suggest that this was an administrative complex. This building was in more or less continuous use since its initial construction in 500 BCE, when the Persian King Cyrus allowed the exiled Jews to re-enter Jerusalem, up to its abandonment during the battle between Jonathan and Demetrius at around 144 to 143 BCE. Spanning Achaemenid, Ptolemaic, and Seleucid control, the PHAB shows evidence of continuous renovation and redecoration until it was abandoned. A notable find here was a solid gold mnaieion with the face of Ptolemy V, minted around 190 to 191 BCE, the largest gold coin found in Israel and the second example of its issue.