Coins of Ancient Judaea: From the Hasmoneans to Bar Kokhba

Few series carry as much history in so small a space as the coins of ancient Judaea. Over about three centuries they record independent Jewish kings, Herod and his heirs, Roman governors including Pontius Pilate, and two great revolts against Rome. Many are the very coins mentioned in the New Testament. This is a short guide to the main periods, from the Hasmoneans to Bar Kokhba.

The Hasmonean kings (about 135–37 BC)

After the Maccabean revolt, the Hasmonean dynasty ruled an independent Judaea. Their small bronze coins, called prutot, avoid human images in keeping with Jewish law.

• John Hyrcanus I (134–104 BC) and his successors struck prutot with a paleo-Hebrew inscription inside a wreath, naming the ruler as High Priest and “the council of the Jews”, with double cornucopiae and a pomegranate on the other side.
• Alexander Jannaeus (103–76 BC) issued huge numbers of coins, including the anchor and star type with Greek and Hebrew legends. His tiny bronze lepta are widely identified with the “widow’s mite” of the Gospels (Mark 12:42).
• Mattathias Antigonus (40–37 BC), the last Hasmonean king, struck a famous coin showing the seven-branched menorah. It is rare and highly sought after.

Herod and the Herodian dynasty (37 BC–about AD 95)

Herod the Great, builder of the Second Temple’s great expansion, struck bronze coins without his own portrait, using symbols such as a tripod, helmet and anchor. His sons Archelaus, Herod Antipas and Philip continued the tradition, though Philip, ruling a largely non-Jewish region, placed the emperor’s portrait on his coins. Agrippa I’s small prutah with a canopy and three ears of barley is one of the most common coins of the period.

Roman prefects and procurators (AD 6–66)

Under direct Roman rule, governors struck bronze prutot in Jerusalem. The best known are those of Pontius Pilate (AD 26–36), dated AD 29–31, showing a lituus (augur’s staff) or a simpulum (ladle), pagan symbols that some think were deliberately provocative. For many collectors a Pilate prutah is the single most meaningful coin of the ancient world.

The silver of Tyre

The Temple tax had to be paid in high-purity silver, and the coin used was the shekel of Tyre, a Phoenician city, showing Melqart (Herakles) and an eagle. They are often identified with the “thirty pieces of silver” of the Gospels. Our Judaean and Phoenician collection includes related Phoenician silver such as this dishekel of Sidon.

The First Jewish Revolt (AD 66–70)

When Judaea rose against Rome, the rebels struck their own silver for the first time: the shekel and half shekel, with a chalice and a stem of three pomegranates, inscribed “Shekel of Israel” and “Jerusalem the Holy” in paleo-Hebrew, dated by the year of the revolt. Bronze prutot with an amphora and vine leaf were struck in great numbers. The revolt ended with the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, commemorated by Rome on the “Judaea Capta” coins of Vespasian and Titus.

The Bar Kokhba Revolt (AD 132–135)

The second great revolt, led by Simon bar Kosiba, known as Bar Kokhba, produced some of the most powerful coins in Jewish history. Lacking their own silver, the rebels overstruck Roman denarii and provincial tetradrachms with their own designs. Traces of the original Roman coin can sometimes still be seen beneath.

• The sela (tetradrachm) shows the facade of the Temple of Jerusalem, which no longer stood, with the Ark of the Covenant within, and a lulav and etrog on the reverse. See our Bar Kochba sela with the Temple facade.
• The zuz (denarius) carries designs such as a lyre, a jug, a palm branch or a bunch of grapes, inscribed “Shimon” and “For the freedom of Jerusalem”.

Tips for collectors

• Use a good reference. David Hendin’s Guide to Biblical Coins is the standard for attribution and for identifying rarer varieties.
• Expect small, rough bronzes. Prutot were everyday money and are often crudely struck. Clear legends and centering command a premium.
• Be careful with the famous types. Revolt shekels, Bar Kokhba silver and the Antigonus menorah coin are among the most forged ancient coins. Buy them certified or from a dealer who guarantees authenticity, and see our authenticity guide.

Coins of the Holy Land have been a specialty of ours for many years. Browse the Judaean and Phoenician collection or tell us what you are looking for.