A hoard of coins which once belonged to a Jewish king from the Hasmonean dynasty were discovered in Israel’s Jordan Valley on the second day of Hanukkah last week.

Researchers at University of Haifa’s Zinman Institute of Archaeology announced Monday that they had uncovered a rare hoard of coins that belonged to King Alexander Jannaeus, the second king of the Hasmonean dynasty, during a dig that took place over the Hanukkah season.

The excavation was led by Dr. Shay Bar, Dr. Yoav Farhi and Dr. Mechael Osband who made their exceptional discovery on Friday morning.