| History, Coins & Artifacts |  |
Ancient coins and artifacts serve as a tangible link to history. In ancient times coins were minted in Israel from the beginning of the 2nd Temple period until the revolt of Bar Kochba. Each period is briefly described on this page. Please click on any of the links above for detailed information on the specific period you are interested in. We will offer expanded information on artifacts soon.
Coins were first introduced to Judaea in the 5th century B.C.E. However, due to an agricultural and barter economy few coins circulated at that time. Those coins that did circulate were minted outside Judaea.
The first coins minted in Judaea are from the period of Persian rule over the land, Circa. 4th century B.C.E. They were small denominations made of silver. The coinage of the Persian period was struck until Alexander the Great took control of Judaea in 332 B.C.E.
After the conquest of Alexander, silver coinage was continued into the beginning of Hellenistic rule, and was discontinued in the 3rd century B.C.E. probably under the rule of Ptolemy II, the sponsor of the Septuagint (translation of the Torah into Greek by 70 Jewish elders).
Some coinage continued to be minted in auxiliary cities around Israel during the Hellenistic period, such as Ake-Ptolemais (modern day Akko). However aside for a bronze prutah minted by Antiochus VII in Jerualem serious minting did not resume until the time of the Hasmoneans under Yochanan Hyrcanus circa. 135 B.C.E. Recent research indicates that there may have been mints at Ascalon and Sebaste as well, during the Hellenistic Period.
From the Hasmonean period until the commencement of the Jewish War in 66 C.E., Judaean coins would be struck in copper, bronze (or lead) only.
The next stage in Judaean coinage is the Herodian period after the defeat of the last Hasmonean King, Mattathias Antigonus in 37 B.C.E., by Herod.
After Herod's son Archelaus was banished by Augustus, coins in Judaea were minted by Roman prefects and procurators. There is a brief interruption during the short lived rule of Herod's grandson Agrippa I who struck his own coinage. After his untimely death, coin production continued under the procurators. There were coins minted by Agrippa II, the son of Agrippa I. However, those coins were not meant to be struck for the residents of Jerusalem.
On the eve of the First Revolt the Jewish revolutionaries produced a new coinage in Jerusalem. This coinage (at least the silver) was of a much finer quality than anything produced before in Judaea. Coins were once again minted in silver (and also in bronze) until the end of the war.
After the defeat of the Judaeans and the destruction of the temple in 70 C.E. there was one more spurt of Jewish coinage with the revolt of Bar Kochba. This mintage started on 132 C.E. and ended in 135 C.E.
Although Jews served as mint masters for numerous kings during the Middle Ages, they would not issue coinage for the land of Israel until 1948 C.E.
As mentioned coins are not our only link to the past. There are many artifacts remaining from ancient times that can connect us to virtually any culture. Judaea is no exception and while there are some extremely rare items, which are often only displayed in museum, some artifacts such as Judaean oil lamps are so ubiquitous that they can be acquired for small sums. Of course authenticity is always a question and a purchaser needs to be careful about the reputation of the seller he is dealing with.
We will soon discuss some affordable artifacts which connect us with the ancient land of Israel.
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