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First Jewish Revolt coinage

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A coin issued by the Jewish rebels in 68–69 CE, note Paleo-Hebrew alphabet. Obverse: 𐤔𐤒𐤋 𐤉𐤔𐤓𐤀𐤋 "Shekel, Israel. Year 3". Reverse: 𐤉𐤓𐤅𐤔𐤋𐤉𐤌 𐤄𐤒𐤃𐤅𐤔𐤄 "Jerusalem the Holy".
In 1538 Guillaume Postel published the Samaritan alphabet, together with the first Western representation of a Hasmonean coin.[1] This predates publication of all known Canaanite and Aramaic inscriptions.
Half Shekel coin issued by the Jewish rebels in 67–68 CE, note Paleo-Hebrew alphabet. Obverse: "Half Shekel Year 2". Reverse: "Jerusalem the Holy".
Bronze prutah eighth of a shekel of year 4 (69–70 CE) issued during the First Jewish Revolt.

First Jewish Revolt coinage refers to the series of coins minted by Jewish rebels during the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE). These coins adopted distinctly Jewish symbols, such as pomegranates, lulavs (palm branches), and Hebrew inscriptions in the paleo-Hebrew script proclaiming messages like "For the Freedom of Zion" and "Jerusalem the Holy." The coinage, which included silver shekels and bronze denominations, marked a revival of Jewish political independence, with years dated according to the revolt. Beyond their economic role, the coins served as a symbol of resistance against Roman rule and an assertion of Jewish sovereignty and economic freedom. It is now accepted that they were minted in Jerusalem.[2][3]

History

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In the Revolt's first year (66–67 CE), the Jews minted only silver coins, which were struck from the Temple's store of silver.[4] This was the first instance of silver coinage in Jewish history.[5] The newly minted silver coins included shekels, half-shekels, and quarter-shekels, each being labelled with the year of minting and their denomination.[4] and depict a chalice on the obverse with the year of the revolt above, surrounded by the ancient Hebrew inscription "Shekel of Israel". Three budding pomegranates are featured on the reverse, with the inscription "Jerusalem the Holy".[6]

During the second (67–68 CE) and third (68–69 CE) years of the Revolt bronze prutah coins were issued, depicting an amphora, and with the date and the Hebrew inscription (חרות ציוןhola Herut Zion)"The Freedom of Zion".

In the fourth year of the revolt (69–70 CE) three large sizes of bronze coins were minted, possibly because the supplies of Temple silver were diminishing. It is believed by numismatists that these coins were fractions of a shekel. The smaller of these coins also has the depiction of a chalice, together with symbols of the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot, a lulav and etrog, and the date and inscription "For the Redemption of Zion". This coin is usually called an 'eighth', probably being an eighth of a shekel. There is broad scholarly agreement that coins issued by the Judean government during the Revolt use an archaic Hebrew script and Jewish symbols including pomegranate buds, lulavs, etrogs, and phrases including "Shekel of Israel," and "The Freedom of Zion" (חרות ציון Herut Zion,) as political statements intended to rally support for independence.[7]

The medium size coin has the same inscription, with the denomination "reva" (quarter) inscribed. An etrog is depicted on the obverse, and two lulav are on the reverse. The larger of the three bronze coins are inscribed "chatzi" (half). On the obverse a lulav and etrog are again depicted, with a palm tree and baskets on the reverse.[6] These coins are sometimes referred to as 'Masada coins'.

Robert Deutsch assumed that the coins would not have been easily readable by the general population,[8][9] as by this period, the Paleo-Hebrew script had become obsolete,[10] with the square Jewish script becoming more dominant. According to Hannah Cotton, the use of Hebrew represented Jewish nationalism and served to promote the ideology of the independent Jewish state.[10] Jonathan Price notes that "the palaeo-Hebrew letters strengthened the nationalistic declaration."[8]

Research

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The coins, which have been known since medieval times, were formerly described as having Samaritan inscriptions.[11][12][13] It was not until the mid-20th century that they were correctly attributed to the First Jewish Revolt.[14]

Interpretation

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According to historian David Goodblatt, the use of the term "Freedom to Zion" on circulating coinage aimed to convey the rebels' goals to the masses, mobilizing them to fight for Zion. This can be compared to the ideals expressed in modern Zionism, particularly in the anthem "Hatikvah," suggesting that the rebels' ideology may be characterized as an early form of Zionism, "Zion nationalism."[15]

According to James S. McLaren, the names inscribed on the coins may represent three levels of identity: "Zion," referring to the Temple Mount; "Jerusalem," signifying its location; and "Israel," denoting the new Jewish state with Jerusalem as its capital.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Frederic Madden, History of Jewish Coinage and of Money in the Old and New Testament, page ii
  2. ^ Ariel 2011, p. 373-374: "…the minting authority of coins to the first Jewish revolt has not always been obvious. In the entire history of the mint of Jerusalem, only the first revolt coins do not have clear details identifying the minting authority. Without them, the coins which we today know were struck in Jerusalem during the revolt have variously been ascribed to other rulers and dated in many different ways. Beginning in 1914 with the appearance of the important British Museum catalogue of coins of Palestine—in which most of the first revolt coins were correctly identified—and certainly by 1960 with Leo Kadman’s publication of the only volume ever exclusively dedicated to that subject… The main reason research into coins of the revolt did not cease with Kadman’s book is numismatic in nature. he silver coins in particular continue to generate great interest, because of their beauty, their rarity and the special technological aspects of their production. The discovery of the first so-called prototype shekel in 1978, intensified interest in the silver coins. It is likely that the special aspects of the silver revolt coins brought Robert Deutsch to write the first modern doctoral dissertation ever devoted to the coins of the revolt."}}
  3. ^ Ariel 2011, p. 375: "…There is as yet no consensus who struck the first revolt coins. As already noted, the minting authority was not named. Neither numismatists nor historians have been able to agree who struck the coins: who were the minting authorities among the many factions competing for control of Jerusalem during the revolt. Moreover, the location of the mint(s) remains undetermined. If Jerusalem, then where in Jerusalem? Or, as one scholar asked in 2007, were some of the coins struck outside of Jerusalem?"}}
  4. ^ a b Silver shekel of the First Jewish Revolt from Rome in the British Museum
  5. ^ McLaren, James S. (2011-01-01), "Going to War against Rome: The Motivation of the Jewish Rebels", The Jewish Revolt against Rome, Brill, p. 148, ISBN 978-90-04-21669-3, retrieved 2025-04-25
  6. ^ a b Coins from the First Revolt on Jewish Virtual Library
  7. ^ Ariel, Donald T. (2014). "Review of Judaea and Rome in Coins, 65 BCE - 135 CE. Papers Presented at the International Conference Hosted by Spink, 13th - 14th September 2010". The Numismatic Chronicle. 174: 385–391. ISSN 0078-2696. JSTOR 44710215.
  8. ^ a b Price 1992, pp. 67–68: "A brilliant new coinage was created right after the Temple meeting. The new silver shekels carried, in addition to their date ('year one'), the legends 'Shekel of Israel' and Jerusalem the palaeo-Hebrew letters strengthened the nationalistic declaration."
  9. ^ Deutsch, 2012: "The predominantly-used languages and scripts at the time of the First Jewish Revolt were Greek, Latin and Aramaic. Numismatic finds from the Revolt period, the coinage of Agrippa II, and local city coins of the time all testify to the fact that the primary language in use at the time in Judaea was Greek. Epigraphic material also testifies to the extensive use of Greek and Aramaic, as seen on contemporary ossuaries, on the Masada ostraca, and elsewhere. Nevertheless, the inscriptions of the Great Revolt coins are written in paleo-Hebrew script, in Hebrew, similar to the Hasmonaean coins which were minted until the year 37 BCE. While the Hebrew and Aramaic languages bear great similarities, the scripts in which they are written differ significantly. As a result one has to assume that the general populace would not have been able to decipher the script on the coins of the revolt, nor understand what was written on them, despite the fact that these are short two-word slogans intended to express a declaratory message or aspiration."
  10. ^ a b Cotton 2022, p. 137: "the Hebrew, displayed on the outside, advertises the ideology of the now independent Jewish state. The same ideology stands behind the appearance of Hebrew legends on coins of the two revolts written in the already then obsolete paleo-Hebrew script. Hebrew became the symbol of Jewish nationalism, of the independent Jewish State."
  11. ^ Bayer, Francisco Pérez (1781). De numis Hebraeo-Samaritanis (in Latin). Benedictus Monfort. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
  12. ^ Tychsen, Olaus Gerhardus; Tychsen, Oluf Gerhard (1779). Die Unächtheit der jüdischen Münzen mit hebräischen und samaritanischen Buchstaben bewiesen (in German). Koppen. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
  13. ^ Madden, Frederic W. (1864). History of Jewish Coinage and of Money in the Old and New Testament. Quaritch. p. ii. Retrieved 2025-06-14. Subsequent to the period of the completion of the Talmud, the more ancient Jewish coins with so-called Samaritan inscriptions have been noticed by the old Jewish scholars, and mentioned by them in their writings,1for instance, by Hai Gaon (1020),a Maimonides (1190), Nachmanides (1267), Estori-ha-parchi (1322), and at a later period, by Moses Alaschkar (1530) and Asaria de Rossi (1571); also by some learned Christians of the 16th century, as William Postell, (who first in 1538 transmitted to Paris a representation of a shekel in a wood-cut,) Arias Montanus (1572) and others. But with the publication of Francis Perez Bayer, archdeacon of Valentia, 'on Hebraic-Samaritan coins,' the road towards an accurate knowledge of Jewish coins was first commenced. Bayer had found means, during his travels in Spain and Italy, to collect a considerable number of these coins, and to arrange and interpret them with great ability. The illustrations also are produced in a most perfect manner. This book caused great excitement, as shortly before a German scholar, Olaf Gerhard Tychsen,' had endeavoured to point out the spuriousness of all the Jewish coins previously known.
  14. ^ H. Gitler, Roman Coinages of Palestine, in W. Metcalf ed. Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage, Oxford 2012, pp. 485–498. Quote from p.489: "These coins are the most famous of all ancient Jewish coins, but they were correctly attributed to the Jewish War only a few decades ago (based on the discovery of such coins in hoards along with other issues)."
  15. ^ Goodblatt, David, ed. (2006), "Zion Nationalism", Elements of Ancient Jewish Nationalism, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 202–203, doi:10.1017/cbo9780511499067.008, ISBN 978-0-521-86202-8, retrieved 2024-09-26
  16. ^ McLaren, James S. (2011-01-01), "Going to War against Rome: The Motivation of the Jewish Rebels", The Jewish Revolt against Rome, Brill, pp. 146, 149, doi:10.1163/9789004216693_007, ISBN 978-90-04-21669-3, retrieved 2025-01-09

Bibliography

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