THE FIRST JEWISH COIN Ancient Bronze Prutah Biblical Judaea Hyrcanus 135-40 BCE

Description

THE FIRST JEWISH COIN
Ancient Hyrcanus I bronze prutah coin
Beautiful display box.
Coin is encapsulated and presented in clear
box with story card and certificate of authenticity.
PERFECT GIFT!
This coin, a genuine Biblical antiquity, is
the first money issued by the Jewish people.
The first Jewish coin was minted some 450 years after the Babylonian conquest, around 135 BCE , by John Hyrcanus I, King and High Priest of Judea. John was the first ruler of the legendary Hasmonean dynasty which restored Israel to Jewish power, giving rise to the so-called Second Temple Period.
John took part in the uprising against the Seleucid Empire, as described in the Biblical books of Maccabees. Under his leadership, the Jews completely repelled the hated Seleucids from Judea, doubling the size of their kingdom and granting them the opportunity to mint these, the first Jewish coins.
The Second Temple Period ended when the Romans destroyed the Temple and much of Jerusalem in 70 CE. The Emperor Hadrian rebuilt the ruined city 65 years later, but banished Jews from living there. It wasn’t until the establishment of Israel in 1948—some two thousand years later— that the Jewish people would issue another coin.
This coin was minted between 135 and 40 BCE. The obverse shows a double cornucopia flanking a pomegranate—a fruit sacred to the early Jews. The cornucopia is a symbol of abundance, but derives from Roman mythology. It is likely that John Hyrcanus I incorporated this symbol as a nod to the mighty Roman Empire.
The inscription on the reverse of the coin reads Yehohanan (John) the High Priest and the Council of the Jews. Note that there is no imagery of man or animal—as High Priest, John held strictly to the Jewish prohibition on graven images.
COIN:
John Hyrcanus I, 134-40 BCE, bronze prutah
1.7-2.4g ; 12-14.5mm
Obverse: Double cornucopia
Reverse: Hebrew inscription
Box measures : 4 5/8″ x 3 1/2″ x 1/2″
Coins is protected in an archival capsule
and beautifully displayed in a clear box.
Accompanied with a story card and certificate of authenticity .
Please note that we have more than one of these available. Photos are an example of the quality of coin you will receive but every coin
is unique and different.
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