Coins in Niches: Enigmatic Coin Deposits in the Southern Church of Shivta

Three churches are known in Shivṭa: the Northern, the Central and the Southern. All three were fully excavated by the Colt expedition in 1934–1938. Recently, a full documentation of the exposed walls was undertaken, recording the remains of paintings, engravings and inscriptions. When the Transfiguration scene on the southern apse of the Southern Church was re-examined in this project, three coin deposits were revealed. In this paper we will present the data and offer an interpretation thereof.