Israel Numismatic Research

Israel Numismatic Research

Published by the Israel Numismatic Society

Volume 4

Contents
2009
Israel
9 Editors’ Note Numismatic
Research
9 Evangeline Markou: Some Cypriot Gold Coins?
21 Haim Gitler and Oren Tal: More Evidence on the Collective Mint of Philistia
39 Yigal Ronen: On the Chronology of the Yehud Falcon Coins
47 Nicholas L. Wright: Two New Imitative Issues from the Fifth Syrian War (202–198 4 | 2009
BCE)
51 Oliver D. Hoover: A New Hellenistic Lead Issue from the Southern Levant
57 David Hendin: A Medallion of Agrippa II
63 Cecilia Meir: Tyrian Sheqels from the ‘Isfiya Hoard, Part One
73 Gabriela Bijovsky: A Burning Testimony: Two Bronze Hoards from the Time of the
First Jewish Revolt
83 Gary M. Fine: Coins of Bar Kokhba: The Temple Water-Drawing Ceremony and the
Holiday of Sukkot
94 Alla Kushnir-Stein: Coins of Tiberias with Asclepius and Hygieia and the Question of
the City’s Colonial Status
109 Lionel Holland: An Unusual Lead Weight of 22 grammata
113 Wolfgang Schulze: The Byzantine ‘Eagle’ countermark – Re-attributed from Egypt to
Palestine
121 David J. Wasserstein: Islamic Coins and their Catalogues III: The Ikhshidids
135 Robert Kool and Warren C. Schultz: The Copper Coins of the Mamlūk Sultan al-
Malik al-Manṣūr Lājīn (r. AH 696–698/1297–1299 CE)
145 Ariel Berman: A Hoard from the First World War from the Area of Beer Sheva
159 Neryahu A. Shneydor: The Inscriptions on Modern Palestinian and Israeli Currency
173 REVIEW: C. Foss, Arab-Byzantine Coins. An Introduction, with a catalogue of the
Dumbarton Oaks collection. Washington, D.C. 2008. (Bruno Callegher)
4 | 2009

179 Abbreviations
Published by
The Israel Numismatic Society
Israel Numismatic Research
Published by the Israel Numismatic Society

Editorial Board: Donald T. Ariel (Editor), Alla Kushnir-Stein, David Wasserstein,

Danny Syon, Ilan Shachar

Text editor: Miriam Feinberg Vamosh

Typesetting: Michal Semo-Kovetz and Yael Bieber,
Tel Aviv University Graphic Design Studio
Printed at Elinir, Tel Aviv

ISSN 1565-8449

Correspondence, manuscripts for publication and books for review should be

addressed to: Israel Numismatic Research, c/o Haim Gitler, The Israel Museum,
P.O. Box 71117, Jerusalem 91710 ISRAEL, or to dtariel@ins.org.il
Website: www.ins.org.il

For inquiries regarding subscription to the journal, please e-mail to info@ins.org.il

The editors are not responsible for opinions expressed by the contributors.

© The Israel Numismatic Society, Jerusalem 2009

Israel Numismatic Research
Published by the Israel Numismatic Society
Volume 4 2009
Contents

5 Editors’ Note
9 Evangeline Markou: Some Cypriot Gold Coins?
21 Haim Gitler and Oren Tal: More Evidence on the Collective Mint of
Philistia
39 Yigal Ronen: On the Chronology of the Yehud Falcon Coins
47 Nicholas L. Wright: Two New Imitative Issues from the Fifth Syrian War
(202–198 BCE)
51 Oliver D. Hoover: A New Hellenistic Lead Issue from the Southern Levant
57 David Hendin: A Medallion of Agrippa II
63 Cecilia Meir: Tyrian Sheqels from the ‘Isfiya Hoard, Part One
73 Gabriela Bijovsky: A Burning Testimony: Two Bronze Hoards from the
Time of the First Jewish Revolt
83 Gary M. Fine: Coins of Bar Kokhba: The Temple Water-Drawing Ceremony
and the Holiday of Sukkot
94 Alla Kushnir-Stein: Coins of Tiberias with Asclepius and Hygieia and the
Question of the City’s Colonial Status
109 Lionel Holland: An Unusual Lead Weight of 22 grammata
113 Wolfgang Schulze: The Byzantine ‘Eagle’ countermark – Re-attributed
from Egypt to Palestine
121 David J. Wasserstein: Islamic Coins and their Catalogues III: The Ikhshidids
135 Robert Kool and Warren C. Schultz: The Copper Coins of the Mamlūk
Sultan al-Malik al-Manṣūr Lājīn (r. AH 696–698/1297–1299 CE)
145 Ariel Berman: A Hoard from the First World War from the Area of Beer
Sheva
159 Neryahu A. Shneydor: The Inscriptions on Modern Palestinian and Israeli
Currency
173 REVIEW: C. Foss, Arab-Byzantine Coins. An Introduction, with a
catalogue of the Dumbarton Oaks collection. Washington, D.C. 2008.
(Bruno Callegher)
179 Abbreviations
Editors’ Note
Editors’ Note
In keeping with the editors’ wishes — and those of the membership of Israel
Numismatic Society — that Israel Numismatic Research be in the forefront of
numismatic study of the southern Levant (see Editors’ Note in INR 2), the editors
present here the following note.1 In it, the datings of certain coins given in a key
numismatic work in the region are improved.
In 46 BCE Julius Caesar instituted a new solar calendar of 365¼ days, with
January 1st as its first day.2 This calendar of Caesar, with slight later modifications,
was destined to become the civil calendar of the modern world. Scholars of
antiquity use it — under the name ‘Julian’ and without subsequent modifications
— for dates pertaining to ancient history.
Other calendars of antiquity had their starting points in a variety of seasons.
Therefore, an ancient date — other than pertaining to Rome itself — almost
always overlaps parts of two consecutive Julian years. Consequently, when given
in terms of the Julian calendar, it must be expressed by a double figure. The
earlier figure will correspond to the first part of the local year, from the beginning
of the year to December 31st, and the later figure will correspond to the period
from January 1st (of the next Roman year) to the end of that local year. It is
obvious that indicating only a single Julian year as an equivalent of an ancient
non-Roman date would be both inexact and misleading.
Most modern scholars are aware of the necessity to indicate an ancient date
by a double figure but, unfortunately, equations to a single Roman year are still
frequent. This appears to stem, at least in part, from reference works that have
inexact date-indications. For the southern Levant one important such reference
book is Ya‘akov Meshorer’s A Treasury of Jewish Coins from the Persian Period
to Bar Kochba (Jerusalem and Nyack 2001; abbrev. TJC). Some dates are given
there in double figures, but many are not. Thus, a few dates for the coins of Herod
Antipas, Philip and Agrippa I are in single Julian figures, and so are also most of
the dates for the coins of the early Roman governors (prefects/procurators). The
matter is aggravated further by the fact that many dates that are given in double
figures have an error of one year.
Given the extensive use of TJC in modern research, a table listing the full
double-figure date indications, and in some cases corrections, for the volume is
provided below. It includes all coins of Herod Antipas, Philip, and Agrippa I of
the Herodian family, and all of prefects/procurators. To clarify the fact that not all

1 Provided by editorial board member Alla Kushnir-Stein.

2 The Romans appear to have begun their year on January 1st from quite early in their
history. The system was used from year 153 BCE at the latest: M. Cary and H.H. Scullard,
A History of Rome Down to the Reign of Constantine, 3rd ed., London 1975, p. 181, n. 16.

5
6 EDITORS’ NOTE

dates in these categories in TJC required such treatment, we have indicated those
without change with asterisks. Dates for the dated coins of other rulers in TJC
(Alexander Jannaeus, Herod, Agrippa II) are not dealt with here.

Actual
TJC Cat. Date on Coin TJC Date
Ruler First Year Date
No. (CE)
(CE)
HERODIANS
75–78 Herod Antipas 4/3 BCE KΔ, 24 19/20 20/21
79–82 “ “ ΛΓ, 33 28/29 29/30
83–86 “ “ ΛΔ, 34 29/30 30/31
87–90 “ “ ΛZ, 37 32/33 33/34
91–94 “ “ MΓ, 43 39 39/40

95–96 Philip 4/3 BCE E, 5 1 1/2

97–98* “ “ IB,12 8/9* 8/9
99* “ “ Iς, 16 12/3* 12/3
101* “ “ IΘ, 19 15/6* 15/6
102–103* “ “ Λ, 30 26/7* 26/7
104–105* “ “ ΛΓ, 33 29/30* 29/30
106–109* “ “ ΛΔ, 34 30/31* 30/31
110–111* “ “ ΛZ, 37 33/4* 33/4

112–115 Agrippa I 36/7 CE B, 2 38 37/8

116–119* “ “ E, 5 40/41* 40/41
120* “ “ ς, 6 41/2* 41/2
121–123* “ “ Z, 7 42/3* 42/3
124–126 “ “ H, 8 43 43/4

ROMAN PREFECTS/PROCURATORS
311–312 Under Augustus 31/30 BCE3 Λς, 36 6/7 5/6
313 “ “ ΛΘ, 39 9/10 8/9
314 “ “ M, 40 10/11 9/10
 EDITORS’ NOTE 7

Actual
TJC Cat. Date on Coin TJC Date
Ruler First Year Date
No. (CE)
(CE)
315 “ “ MA, 41 11/12 10/11

316–319 Under Tiberius 14/5 CE B, 2 15 15/6

320–324 “ “ Γ, 3 16 16/7
325–327 “ “ Δ, 4 17 17/8
328 “ “ E, 5 18 18/9
329 “ “ IA, 11 24 24/5
331–332 “ “ Iς, 16 29 29/30
333 “ “ IZ, 17 30 30/31
334 “ “ IH, 18 31 31/2
340–344* Under Claudius 41/2 CE IΔ, 14 54* 544

345 Under Nero 54/5 CE E, 5 59 58/9

34

3 The only era pertaining to the reign of Augustus that is known for the southern Levant
is the so-called ‘Actian era’, which falls in September 31 BCE.
4 Formally speaking, the date is 54/5 CE, but since Claudius died in October 54, the
coin is most likely to have been minted before the end of that year.
A Burning Testimony: Two Bronze Hoards from
the Time of the First Jewish Revolt
Gabriela Bijovsky
Israel Antiquities Authority
gabriela@israntique.org.il

Abstract
Two assemblages of burnt coins dated to the end of the first Jewish revolt, were discovered
in the Temple Mount excavations of Benjamin Mazar in Jerusalem. The coins provide a vivid
evidence of the destruction of the city by fire in 70 CE.

The Romans, thinking it useless, now that the temple was on fire, to spare the surrounding
buildings, set them all alight, both the remnants of the porticoes and the gates, excepting two,
one on the east and the other on the south; these, also, they subsequently razed to the ground.
They further burnt the treasury-chambers, in which lay vast sums of money, vast piles of
raiment, and other valuables (Josephus, BJ 6:281).

In a recent article, Reich summarized the archaeological finds from excavations in

Jerusalem that provide evidence for the destruction of the city by the Romans in
70 CE (Reich 2009:26–42). Reich stressed that there was correlation between the
archaeological evidence and the testimony of the events as written by Josephus in
the Jewish War (BJ, Books 5–7).
One of the archaeological features Reich discusses as indications of crisis and
distress is the deliberate concealment of hoards. Hoards of this sort, known in
numismatic literature as “emergency hoards”, were hidden as result of fear, stress
or imminent danger during times of siege or war. Therefore, they tend to reflect
the proportions of coin types in current circulation at the time of the deposition.
Reich mentioned two coin assemblages related to the first Jewish revolt from
excavations in Jerusalem (Reich 2009:31). One is a hoard of 13 silver sheqels
discovered during excavations in the Jewish Quarter (the ‘upper city’; Avigad
1983:195–196). The coins were found in a small pool of a building destroyed
by the Romans. They were sheqels and half sheqels dating from the first through
fourth years of the revolt. In the same pool, but not as part of the hoard, another
12 bronze coins struck by the rebels were found. Unfortunately, no chronological
or typological details have thus far been provided about them. The second hoard
mentioned by Reich is an accumulation of 195 coins (prutot), most of them dated
to the time of the revolt, and found during excavations near the southwest corner of
the Temple Mount (the Robinson’s Arch excavations; Reich and Billig 1998:90).
The coins were discovered scattered on the threshold of one of the shops and

INR 4 (2009): 73–81 73

74 GABRIELA BIJOVSKY

on an adjacent paved Herodian-period street running parallel at that point to the

Western Wall.1 The excavators believe that these prutot were originally hidden
in the wall.
Two previously unpublished assemblages of bronze coins discovered in 1975
shed additional light on the dramatic events that accompanied the destruction of
the city by the Romans. They were found in excavations directed by Benjamin
Mazar (the Temple Mount excavations) in connection with the same Herodian-
period street mentioned above.2
The first group (Hoard A), containing 34 coins, was found on the floor of the
Herodian vault room (L6098) at the southeastern part of Robinson’s Arch. An
intact cooking pot and a bronze juglet with a chain were discovered together
with the coins. The second assemblage (Hoard B), with 13 coins, was found in
L6095. This area is bounded by the Herodian street at the southwestern corner of
the Temple Mount and the Herodian vault room (L6032) in the southern part of
Robinson’s Arch.
All coins are badly preserved. Most of them bear evidence of severe burning,
some to a point that defies identification of the types, while others are merely
blistered. Some of the coins of the original assemblages may have completely
melted and were therefore not recovered. We do not know if all the coins in
the original assemblages survived. There may have been some which completely
melted and were not recovered. In his account of the coins found in excavations
in the Jewish Quarter, Avigad reported that coins of the revolt were often found
scattered on the floors of the scorched houses, thus confirming the date of their
destruction (Avigad 1983:195). The coins described here constitute an even more
vivid testimony of destruction by fire.
The coins in both groups from Mazar’s Temple Mount excavations were
almost exclusively struck during the fourth year of the revolt, April 69 through

1 IAA 82503–82695. The breakdown of the assemblage is as follows: 2 prutot of

Agrippa I (41/2 CE); 3 of the local Roman governor under Nero (58/9 CE); 153
prutot of the first Jewish revolt dated to “year two” (67/8 CE); 31 dated to “year
three” (68/9 CE) and four dated to “year four” (69/70 CE). Two additional coins
were unidentifiable.
2 I am grateful to Eilat Mazar for permission to publish both hoards in this preliminary
report. A full discussion of these finds within their archaeological context will be
published by the author in the fifth and final report volume of The Temple Mount
Excavations in Jerusalem 1968–1978 Directed by Benjamin Mazar (Eilat Mazar in
preparation). The coins were cleaned at the IAA metals conservation laboratories
headed by Ella Altmark and were photographed by Clara Amit of the IAA
photography studio.
 A BURNING TESTIMONY 75

March 70 CE.3 Only three coins minted in Jerusalem before the revolt — two
of Agrippa I (41/2 CE) and a procuratorial coin dated to 54 CE — are present.
These earlier coins are also mentioned by Avigad as components of the currency
in circulation until 70 CE unearthed in houses excavated in the Jewish Quarter
(Avigad 1983:195; Ariel, Jewish Quarter, forthcoming). The same phenomenon is
confirmed by the presence of a number of these earlier coins in the accumulation
of 195 prutot discovered by Reich and Billig and mentioned above (see n. 1).

Table 1. Breakdown according to types of the coins in Mazar’s assemblages

Type Hoard A Hoard B Totals
(L6098) (L6095)
Agrippa I 1 1 2

Roman Governors in Judea - 1 1

First Jewish revolt – “year two” 2 1 3

First Jewish revolt – “year four”, “half” 6 5 11

First Jewish revolt – “year four”, “quarter” 22 5 27

First Jewish revolt – “year four”, “eighth” 3 - 3

Totals 34 13 47

The compositions of both assemblages exhibit a number of peculiar features.

Only three coins of “year two” of the revolt are present, while no coins dated to
“year three” appear in either hoard. Forty-one coins belong to the series issued in
“year four”. The predominant type is without doubt the “quarter” denomination,
depicting an ethrog and the legend ‫“( לגאלת ציון‬for the salvation of Zion”) on
one side and two bundles of lulav with the legend ‫“( שנת ארבע רביע‬year four”,
“quarter”) on the other side (TJC:243, No. 213). The second group of importance
is the larger “half” denomination, numbering a total of 11 specimens from both
hoards (TJC:243, No. 211). Only three coins of the smallest denomination,
bearing the cup on one side and a bundle of lulav flanked by two ethrogs on the
other (TJC:243, No. 214), appear in Hoard A.

3 Extensive literature has been dedicated to the interpretation of the legends and symbols
appearing on the three bronze denominations struck during the fourth year, and their
innovative nature vis-à-vis the “year two” and “year three” types. Hence, this issue
will not be discussed here. See, in general, TJC:124–130 and more recent discussions
in Goodman 2005; Goldstein and Fontanille 2006 and Rappaport 2007.
76 GABRIELA BIJOVSKY

The incidence of coins of “year four” in archaeological contexts, helps to

provide indications about the movements of the rebels and the advance of the
Roman army. Two cases will illustrate this from different directions. The first
is a hoard of 19 “year four” bronzes found among the ashes in an entrance
room leading to a corridor connected to the bottom of the mount at Herodium.
This hoard is most closely comparable to the assemblages found in Mazar’s
excavations. At Herodium the hoarded coins provide the terminus post quem
for the collapse, caused by fire, of the room in c. 70 CE. These and other finds
discovered there attest to the occupation of the room by the rebels (Foerster
1969:124). Unfortunately, however, no further information about the contents
of the first-revolt Herodium hoard is available since the hoard was never fully
published and its actual location is uncertain. Are all the coins dated to 69/70 CE?
What are the proportions between the different types?
The second case, the numismatic finds from Qumran, exemplifies an opposite
situation. There, the coins of “year four” are completely missing from both de
Vaux’s and Magen-Peleg’s excavations. According to Ariel, this absence leads to
the conclusion that Qumran was abandoned before the end of the third year of the
revolt, namely in 68/69 CE (Ariel, Qumran, forthcoming).
Both assemblages from Mazar’s excavation are unique because of their high
— and almost exclusive — concentration of “year four” coins. In this respect
they represent the opposite of most finds of the first Jewish revolt discovered in
other Jerusalem sites. In most excavation finds in Jerusalem, “year two” prutot
are far more prevalent. According to Gitler, who compared coin finds from ten
different excavations in Jerusalem and excavations at Masada, coins of “year
two” constitute more than half (59.23% on average) of the total of the coinage
from the revolt — silver and bronze — found in excavations, while coins of “year
three” represent 18.16% and those from “year four” only 8.25% (Gitler 1996:327,
Table 5).4 Ariel demonstrated that in the excavations of the Burnt House in the
Jewish Quarter (Area B), the ratio of “year two”,“year three” and “year four”
coins is 10:3.3:1 (Ariel, Jewish Quarter, forthcoming).
Similar proportions of coin finds were discerned by Meshorer between the
prutot of “year two” (1664 coins; 73.5%) and “year three” (491 coins; 21.71 %)
discovered at Masada (Meshorer 1989:73). Only 106 coins (4.68 %) of “year
four” were found at Masada, two of them silver sheqels. Interestingly, no coins
of the common “quarter” type, which is actually the predominant in Mazar’s
assemblages from Jerusalem, were discovered at Masada (Meshorer 1989:73). In
all, with one exception of the “half” denomination, all bronze coins belong to the

4 A search for first Jewish revolt coins from all sites in Israel (registered in the IAA)
shows similar proportions among the three groups: “year two” (4564 coins; 74.5%),
“year three” (1249 coins; 20.3%) and “year four” (313 coins; 5.1%).
 A BURNING TESTIMONY 77

“eighth” denomination depicting the cup (Meshorer 1989:118, No. 3492).5 The
fact that not all types of “year four” are represented at Masada is not surprising.
By that time Jerusalem was already isolated from the countryside and the only
possibility that rebel coins could depart the city would have been by means of
people fleeing Jerusalem. This is what apparently happened regarding Herodium
and Masada. Therefore, the place where one would expect to find the most coins
of “year four” — and all of the denominations — is Jerusalem itself.
In sum, the most intriguing question about both assemblages from Mazar’s
excavations remains their almost exclusive composition of “year four” coin
types. According to the quantitative patterns shown above, one would expect to
find in an ordinary hoard of this kind considerable numbers of prutot of “year
two” and smaller quantities of “year three” coins. The fact that most of the coins
in these assemblages belong to “year four”, a series which certainly continued to
circulate during the fifth year of the revolt, when no new bronze coins were issued,
suggests that their character was more of an emergency nature. Reich and Billig’s
accumulation of 195 prutot found near these assemblages is in comparison, more
like a ‘savings hoard’ — accrued over some time during the revolt, but not at its
very end. In contrast, Mazar’s two assemblages, containing mostly money struck
closer to the end of the revolt, perhaps found their way to the two spots under the
Robinson’s Arch close to the time when the Temple and its surroundings were
being set to the torch.

HOARD A (L6098)6
Agrippa I, Jerusalem, 41/2 CE.
Obv: [ΒΑ]CΙΛΕωC [ΑΓΡΙΠΑ] Canopy
Rev.: Three ears of corn; in fields: L–ϛ.
Æ prutah, TJC:231, No. 120
No. Condition IAA No.
A1* Badly burnt 45395

5 When compared to the rest of the coins from the first Jewish revolt found at Masada, the
sole “half” denomination coin shows signs of very prolonged use (Meshorer 1989:73,
118, No. 3492). The coin is extremely worn and is pierced, indicating a secondary use
as a pendant. These features suggest that the coin might not have arrived at the site
together with the rest of the “year four” coins. The coin may have been deposited later,
as it does not seem plausible that it became so worn from its minting in 69/70 CE until
the fall of Masada in 73 CE.
6 Coins bearing an asterisk are illustrated in Plates 14–15. Due to the bad preservation of
the coins their measurements are not given. This information, moreover, is irrelevant
to the discussion.
78 GABRIELA BIJOVSKY

First Jewish revolt, Jerusalem, 67/8 CE (“year two”).

Obv: ‫ שנת שתים‬Amphora.
Rev: ‫ חרת ציון‬Vine leaf.
Æ prutah, TJC:241, No. 196.
No. Condition IAA No.
A2 Small fragment 45387
A3* Fragment, signs of scorching 45388

First Jewish revolt, Jerusalem, 69/70 CE (“year four”).

Obv: ‫ לגאלת ציון‬Palm tree flanked by two baskets.
Rev: ‫ שנת ארבע חצי‬Ethrog flanked by two bundles of lulav.
Æ half denomination, TJC:243, No. 211.
No. Condition IAA No.
A4 Half a coin 45379
A5 Signs of blistering, scorched 45380
A6 Quarter of a coin, discoloration caused by 45385
fire
A7* Fragment, burnt and oxidized 45393
A8* Broken, oxidized 45403
A9 Melted 45471

First Jewish revolt, Jerusalem, 69/70 CE (“year four”).

Obv: ‫ לגאלת ציון‬Ethrog.
Rev: ‫ שנת ארבע רביע‬Two bundles of lulav.
Æ quarter denomination, TJC:243, No. 213.
No. Condition IAA No.
A10 Signs of melting 45381
A11* Intact except for melted border 45382
A12 Slightly scorched 45384
A13 Designs melted by fire 45386
A14 Fragment, signs of blistering 45389
A15 Small fragment, scorched 45390
A16* Fragment, badly burnt, signs of blistering 45392
A17 Half a coin, oxidized 45394
A18 Half a coin, melted 45397
A19 Quarter of a coin 45398
A20 Intact except for a large hole (blistering) 45399
A21 Scorched, signs of blistering 45400
A22 Small fragment, melted 45401
A23* Large holes from blistering 45402
A24* Almost intact, border melted 45417
A25 Broken, signs of blistering 45418
A26 Half a coin, scorched 45419
 A BURNING TESTIMONY 79

A27 Fragment, scorched 45420

A28* Fragment, signs of blistering 45421
A29* Signs of blistering 45422
A30* Intact, worn 45423
A31* Almost intact, struck on a larger flan of type 458237
No. 211.
7
First Jewish revolt, Jerusalem, 69/70 CE (“year four”).
Obv: ‫ לגאלת ציון‬Cup.
Rev: ‫ שנת ארבע‬Bundle of lulav flanked by two ethrogs.
Æ quarter denomination, TJC:243, No. 214.
No. Condition IAA No.
A32 Scorched 45383
A33 Intact but worn 45391
A34 Melted, signs of blistering 45396

HOARD B (L6095)
Agrippa I, Jerusalem, 41/2 CE.
Obv: [ΒΑ]CΙΛΕωC [ΑΓΡΙΠΑ] Canopy.
Rev.: Three ears of corn; in fields: L–ϛ.
Æ prutah, TJC:231, No. 120.
No. Condition IAA No.
B1 Fragment, scorched 45426

Roman governor under Claudius, Jerusalem, 54 CE.

Obv: ΤΙ ΚΛΑΥΔΙΟC ΚΑΙCΑΡ ΓΕΡΜ Two crossed
palm branches; in field: LIΔ
Rev: ΙΟΥ/ΛΙΑ ΑΓ/ΡΙΠΠΙ/ΝΑ within wreath.
Æ prutah, TJC:259, No. 342.
No. Condition IAA No.
B2 Intact 45427

First Jewish revolt, Jerusalem, 67/8 CE (“year two”).

Obv: ‫ שנת שתים‬Amphora.
Rev: ‫ חרת ציון‬Vine leaf.
Æ prutah, TJC:241, No. 196.

7 This coin was published by Meshorer, see AJC 2:262, No. 29a and TJC:243, No.
213a.
80 GABRIELA BIJOVSKY

No. Condition IAA No.

B3 Broken in two small fragments 45425

First Jewish revolt, Jerusalem, 69/70 CE (“year four”).

Obv: ‫ לגאלת ציון‬Palm tree flanked by two baskets.
Rev: ‫ שנת ארבע חצי‬Ethrog flanked by two bundles of lulav.
Æ half denomination, TJC:243, No. 211.
No. Condition IAA No.
B4* Half a coin, worn 45429
B5 Completely consumed by fire 45430
B6* Intact, sign of blistering on the ethrog 45433
B7* Obverse destroyed by fire 45434
B8* Oxidized 45436

First Jewish revolt, Jerusalem, 69/70 CE (“year four”).

Obv: ‫ לגאלת ציון‬Ethrog.
Rev: ‫ שנת ארבע רביע‬Two bundles of lulav.
Æ quarter denomination, TJC:243, No. 213.
No. Condition IAA No.
B9 Broken by fire, signs of blistering 45428
B10* Oxidized 45431
B11 Oxidized 45432
B12 Oxidized, struck on larger flan of No. 211 45435
B13 Oxidized 45437

REFERENCES
Ariel D.T. Jewish Quarter, Forthcoming. Coins. In H. Geva ed. Jewish Quarter Excavations
in the Old City of Jerusalem. Conducted by Nahman Avigad, 1969–1982. IV: Area
B. Final Report. Jerusalem.
Ariel D.T. Qumran, Forthcoming. Coins from Excavations at Qumran. In Y. Magen and Y.
Peleg. Excavations at Khirbet Qumran.
Avigad N. 1983. Discovering Jerusalem. Nashville.
Foerster G. 1969. Herodium. IEJ 19:123–124.
Gitler H. 1996. A Comparative Study of Numismatic Evidence from Excavations in Jerusalem.
LA 46:317–362.
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IGCH M. Thompson, O. Mørkholm and C.M. Kraay. An Inventory of Greek Coin Hoards. New
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INJ Israel Numismatic Journal
INR Israel Numismatic Research
LA Studium Biblicum Franciscanum Liber Annuus
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NC Numismatic Chronicle
NCirc. Numismatic Circular
NNM Numismatic Notes and Monographs
NZ Numismatische Zeitschrift
RRC M.H. Crawford. Roman Republican Coinage. Cambridge 1974
RIC e.g., C.H.V. Sutherland. The Roman Imperial Coinage I. From 31 BC to AD 69. London 1984
RN Revue Numismatique
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SNR Schweizerische Numismatische Rundschau
TINC Transactions of the International Numismatic Congress
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ZfN Zeitschrift für Numismatik

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