The New York Sale
Auction 54 11 Jan 2022
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Judaea, Bar Kokhba Revolt. Æ Large Bronze (21.13 g), 132-135 CE. Year 1 (132/3 CE). 'Jerusalem' (Paleo-Hebrew) within wreath. Reverse: 'Year one of the redemption of Israel' (Paleo-Hebrew), amphora with two handles. Hendin 1375; Mildenberg 13 (O3/R9); TJC 221. Extremely Rare - only one example from these dies cited by Mildenberg, this being finer. Uniform glossy olive-green patina. Adjustment marks as made. Rare Jerusalem obverse. Choice Very Fine. Estimated Value $15,000 - UP
Like the silver zuz, this large bronze denomination of the Bar Kokhba War takes its typological cues from earlier Jewish coinage. The wreathed paleo-Hebrew inscription naming Jerusalem, the coinage was almost certainly inspired by the ubiquitous prutot of the Hasmonean high priests and priest-kings. This hearkened back to the lost glory days of the late second and early first centuries BCE when Judaea was a free and powerful state that struck fear into the hearts of its many pagan neighbors, but it may also have been intended to make a direct connection between Simon bar Kokhba and the Hasmonean dynasty for the sake of legitimacy. It is probably no coincidence that both Bar Kokhba and the Hasmonaeans hailed from the town of Modein in the Judaean Shephelah. The amphora reverse is very similar to that found on prutot of the first failed Jewish Revolt (66-73 CE) and serves to connect the Bar Kokhba War to the previous tragic struggle of the Judaean Jews against Rome. Interestingly, these large bronzes are often known by the Arabic nickname "Abu Jara" meaning "father of the jar" because of their very large size and their prominent depiction of an amphora or jar ("jara"). Unlike the majority of the Bar Kokhba coins struck in the second year, this one names Jerusalem rather than Simon bar Kokhba on the obverse.
Like the silver zuz, this large bronze denomination of the Bar Kokhba War takes its typological cues from earlier Jewish coinage. The wreathed paleo-Hebrew inscription naming Jerusalem, the coinage was almost certainly inspired by the ubiquitous prutot of the Hasmonean high priests and priest-kings. This hearkened back to the lost glory days of the late second and early first centuries BCE when Judaea was a free and powerful state that struck fear into the hearts of its many pagan neighbors, but it may also have been intended to make a direct connection between Simon bar Kokhba and the Hasmonean dynasty for the sake of legitimacy. It is probably no coincidence that both Bar Kokhba and the Hasmonaeans hailed from the town of Modein in the Judaean Shephelah. The amphora reverse is very similar to that found on prutot of the first failed Jewish Revolt (66-73 CE) and serves to connect the Bar Kokhba War to the previous tragic struggle of the Judaean Jews against Rome. Interestingly, these large bronzes are often known by the Arabic nickname "Abu Jara" meaning "father of the jar" because of their very large size and their prominent depiction of an amphora or jar ("jara"). Unlike the majority of the Bar Kokhba coins struck in the second year, this one names Jerusalem rather than Simon bar Kokhba on the obverse.