Of the 65 settlements mentioned in Acts through Revelation, at least 54 (83%) villages and cities minted coins at some time during their ancient history. The city name or abbreviation was frequently written on their coins. These coin examples give the names of Gadara[SGI 738] and Antioch[SGI 5186].

Other cities and villages can be verified by their ruins (Jerusalem, Jericho, Capernaum, Caesarea, Ephesus,...) which can be visited today. Coin and monument inscriptions bearing city names assure us that the cities were real.

However, none of the Book of Mormon places in the New World are named on any archaeological artifacts, whether monuments or coins. One can never get on an airplane and go to visit the ruins of Zerehemla, for example. It would be equivalent to trying to find Sleeping Beauty's castle amongst all the castles in Europe. That is because, like the story of Sleeping Beauty, the Book of Mormon is fiction.

Back, Next
 or general topics:
Home, B.C., Birth of Jesus, Bible coins, Other Gospel topics, Book of Acts, Nero, Jewish Revolt, Revelation, Official Christianity, Byzantine, Contrast, Details