Ira and Larry Goldberg Auctioneers
Auction 98 6-7 Jun 2017
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Judaea, Bar Kokhba Revolt. Æ Medium Bronze (10.58 g), 132-135 CE. Year 1 (132/3 CE). 'Simon, Prince of Israel' (Paleo-Hebrew), seven-branched palm tree with two bunches of dates. Reverse: 'Year one of the redemption of Israel' (Paleo-Hebrew), vine leaf on tendril. Hendin 1378; Mildenberg 44 (O2/R7); TJC 222. Light green patina. Choice Very Fine. Estimate Value $500 - 600
The Brody Family Collection; Purchased privately from D. Hendin, February 1989.
The vine leaf reverse of the middle bronze denomination of the first year (132/3 CE) of the Bar Kokhba War takes its inspiration from the prutot of the earlier failed Jewish Revolt (66-73 CE) that employed a similar type. In this way the Bar Kokhba War was presented as a continuation of the earlier fight and lent it legitimacy in historical terms. The palm tree was a symbol of Judaea going back at least to the time of the Jewish Revolt since it regularly appears on Roman coins in conjunction with Jewish captives under Vespasian and his successors. The seven branches consciously recall the seven arms of the menorah, perhaps the Jewish symbol par excellence. The palm tree was also prominent on coins of the Galileean city of Sepphoris, which became an important center of rabbinical Judaism after the Bar Kokhba War.
The Brody Family Collection; Purchased privately from D. Hendin, February 1989.
The vine leaf reverse of the middle bronze denomination of the first year (132/3 CE) of the Bar Kokhba War takes its inspiration from the prutot of the earlier failed Jewish Revolt (66-73 CE) that employed a similar type. In this way the Bar Kokhba War was presented as a continuation of the earlier fight and lent it legitimacy in historical terms. The palm tree was a symbol of Judaea going back at least to the time of the Jewish Revolt since it regularly appears on Roman coins in conjunction with Jewish captives under Vespasian and his successors. The seven branches consciously recall the seven arms of the menorah, perhaps the Jewish symbol par excellence. The palm tree was also prominent on coins of the Galileean city of Sepphoris, which became an important center of rabbinical Judaism after the Bar Kokhba War.