Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="Curtisimo, post: 8059224, member: 83845"]I am happy to have added this prutah struck in Jerusalem during the First Jewish War to my collection this year. Because I think the context is what makes these coins so interesting I will spend some time in this write up discussing the relevant background and how that relates to the coins. [ATTACH=full]1397710[/ATTACH]JudaeaFirst Jewish WarAE Prutah, Jerusalem mint, struck ca. AD 67/8Wt.: 2.13 gDia.: 16 mmObv.: Amphora; Paleo-Hebrew inscription: "Year Two"Rev.: Vine leaf; Paleo-Hebrew inscription: "Freedom of Zion"Ref.: Hendin 1360Ex Tareq Hani Collection Year 1: Outbreak and Early SuccessIn AD 66 the Roman procurator of Judaea (<a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gessius_Florus" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gessius_Florus" rel="nofollow">Gessius Florus</a>) forcibly removed 17 talents of silver from the temple treasury in Jerusalem causing widespread Jewish unrest.  Florus responded to the unrest in such an incompetent and heavy-handed manner that Josephus accused him of starting a war on purpose. The Roman garrison in Jerusalem was overwhelmed and slaughtered after surrendering to the rebels. A sect of Jews called the Sicarii seized the fortress of Masada and gained access to the armory there.  When the Roman governor of Syria brought in Legion X and attempted to occupy Jerusalem and quell the revolt he was repulsed. During the Roman retreat to the coast the legion was set upon by Judeans under the leadership of <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleazar_ben_Simon" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleazar_ben_Simon" rel="nofollow">Eleazar Ben Simon</a> and completely destroyed. During this period the temple priests exercised substantial authority over government of the state.  However, the Zealots (particularly Eleazar ben Simon in Jerusalem) held considerable influence. Silver shekels and half-shekels were struck in this year. Years 2 and 3: Chaos and DivisionThe priestly government in Jerusalem assigned generals, such as <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus" rel="nofollow">Josephus</a>*, to lead the resistance to the Romans in the countryside.  At the same time, charismatic leaders arose among the rural Jews, such as <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Giscala" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Giscala" rel="nofollow">Yohanan mi-Gush Halav</a>** (rival of Josephus) and <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_bar_Giora" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_bar_Giora" rel="nofollow">Simon bar Giora</a>. By the spring of AD 67 the Roman army under Vespasian was beginning its advance.  Several important towns in the north fell to the Romans in mid to late AD 67. Josephus was captured after the <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Yodfat" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Yodfat" rel="nofollow">Siege of Yodfat</a> and Yohanan decided to escape to Jerusalem just before the fall of Gush Halav in this year. With the support of his Zealot followers Yohanan mi-Gush Halav came to dominate the politics of Jerusalem in an uneasy alliance with Eleazar during the late second and third year of the revolt.  In AD 68 his followers killed most of the leaders of the priestly government including the former high priest. This ensured that radical factions and not the moderate priests would be in control of Jewish politics until the end of the war. As this infighting was taking place in Jerusalem, Vespasian continued to methodically capture the rest of Judea one part at a time Both silver shekels (and halves) as well as bronze prutot were struck during this period. Years 4 and 5: Defeat and TragedyIn response to the growing domination of Yohanan, what was left of the priestly government invited Simon bar Giora (another charismatic rural leader) to Jerusalem in spring AD 69.  Unlike the other leaders Simon seems to have considered himself the messiah.  He was successful at gaining control of most of the city but his presence only intensified the factional war going on in Jerusalem.  Yohanan, Eleazar and Simon all had bases of power in different parts of the city and openly opposed each other with violence.  Yohanan and Simon tried to gain the upper hand by attacking and burning the other faction’s food stores.  This would later prove disastrous during the Roman siege. On July 3, AD 69 Vespasian was proclaimed emperor by his troops and turned the administration of the war over to his son Titus.  In April of AD 70 Titus began the siege of Jerusalem.  After an almost five month long siege Jerusalem fell and both the city and the Second Temple were completely destroyed.  Yohanan and Simon were captured by the Romans and paraded in chains through the streets of Rome during Titus’s triumph.  What happened to Eleazar is unknown. [ATTACH=full]1396873[/ATTACH]Relief on the Arch of Titus in Rome.  This relief shows Roman soldiers carrying loot from the Temple in Jerusalem during the triumph of Titus in AD 71.  (Author’s photo) During year 4, large bronze coins in three denominations were struck.  Silver was struck very rarely in years 4 and 5. The Coins and the MintsThe above context helps in understanding the chronology of the coins, the minting authority and the activity of the mints.  The coins of the First Jewish War can be summarized as follows;[ATTACH=full]1396885[/ATTACH] The Silver MintDespite the chaotic infighting and changes in leadership in Jerusalem during the war the silver coins continued to be produced at a high standard with a consistent design.  Donald Ariel makes a compelling case that this was because the temple authorities maintained oversight of the process throughout.  This suggests that the mint was at the temple near the treasury.  Ariel proposes the Royal Stoa at the south of the temple complex as the most likely place for the mint. [ATTACH=full]1396886[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]1396887[/ATTACH]Top: Model showing the temple as it would have looked near the time of the First Jewish War.  The Royal Stoa is the building seen at the right of the image and was the likely location of the silver mint. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) Bottom Left:  The site as it exists today.  The Al-Aqsa mosque occupies the site where the Royal Stoa once stood.  Bottom Right: Remains of Robinson’s arch which once led to the Royal Stoa. (Author’s photos) The Bronze MintThe mint for the bronze coins was most likely located near the palace area built by Herod.  If this was the case then this mint would have been operated by whichever faction held this part of the city at the time.  In the later part of year 2 and all of year 3 this was Yohanan mi-Gush Halav.  From year 4 to the fall of Jerusalem it was controlled by Simon bar Giora.  This explains the major change from the prutah in years 2 and 3 (struck under Yohanan) to the larger AE denominations (struck by Simon) in year 4.  This interpretation also lines up well with the message on the inscriptions where Yohanan’s message (Freedom of Zion) was hardline but political and Simon’s message (for the redemption of Zion) was messianic in nature. [ATTACH=full]1396889[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]1396890[/ATTACH]Top: Model showing what the citadel and palace area looked like in the first century AD.  This was the likely minting location for the bronze coins.  The tallest tower near the top left of the photo is the Phasael Tower and is the only structure still extant today. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)  Bottom: I took this photo from a similar vantage point to the one above.  The remains of the Phasael Tower are at center topped by the three flags.  The part of the tower with the larger stones is the section that is original to the First Jewish War period.  You can also see the ruins of the ancient city wall in the center of the photo.  (Author’s photo) The Aftermath and Final StruggleAfter the fall of Jerusalem the only holdouts left in Judea were the Sicarii at Masada.  Titus returned to Rome and celebrated his triumph.  It was left to Lucius Flavius Silva and Legion X to close out the re-conquest.  In AD 72 the Romans laid siege to Masada and built a series of forts and a circumvallation wall whose remains can still be seen today.  The Romans also famously built a huge earthwork ramp and siege tower to assault the fortress. [ATTACH=full]1396891[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]1396892[/ATTACH]Top: A photo I took of one of the several Roman forts that surround Masada.  You can also see the remains of the circumvallation wall in front of the fort.  Bottom Right: The ramp that was built by the Romans for the final assault.  Bottom Left: An artist’s representation displayed at Masada that shows the Roman siege tower being hauled up the ramp to attack the wall. (Author’s photos) According to Josephus once the defenders of Masada realized their situation was hopeless they committed mass suicide.  The men killed their families, then ten men were chosen by lot to kill the other men.  Then one man was chosen by lot to kill the nine and then himself.  Two women and five children survived by hiding from the others. [ATTACH=full]1396893[/ATTACH]Left: Pottery shards with names inscribed on them have been interpreted by some scholars to be the actual shards that were used as lots by the defenders of Masada in their mass suicide. Right:  I believe this photo was taken near the area where the pot shards were found and shows a sweeping view of the rugged and beautiful landscape surrounding Masada. (Author’s photos) Of the coins struck during the war the "Year Two" prutot are by far the most numerous.  The distribution of the coin finds in excavations has helped to corroborate the chronology of the Roman advance from the written sources.  Of the finds from Archeological excavations Jerusalem and Masada are the sites that have yielded the most coins. Notes* Josephus’s Hebrew name was Yosef ben Matityahu ** Often anglicized as John of Gischala ReferencesAriel, Donald T., Identifying the Mints, Minters and Meanings of the First Jewish Revolt Coins, The Jewish Revolt against Rome, Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Brill, Leiden - Boston, 2011 (available online <a href="https://www.academia.edu/1219122/Ariel_D_T_Identifying_the_Mints_Minters_and_Meanings_of_the_First_Jewish_Revolt_Coins_In_M_Popovi%C4%87_ed_The_Jewish_Revolt_against_Rome_Interdisciplinary_Perspectives_Supplements_to_the_Journal_for_the_Study_of_Judaism_154_Leiden_Brill_2011_Pp_373_397" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.academia.edu/1219122/Ariel_D_T_Identifying_the_Mints_Minters_and_Meanings_of_the_First_Jewish_Revolt_Coins_In_M_Popovi%C4%87_ed_The_Jewish_Revolt_against_Rome_Interdisciplinary_Perspectives_Supplements_to_the_Journal_for_the_Study_of_Judaism_154_Leiden_Brill_2011_Pp_373_397" rel="nofollow">here</a>) Flavius Josephus: <a href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/war-7.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/war-7.html" rel="nofollow">http://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/war-7.html</a> Livius: <a href="https://www.livius.org/articles/concept/roman-jewish-wars/roman-jewish-wars-5/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.livius.org/articles/concept/roman-jewish-wars/roman-jewish-wars-5/" rel="nofollow">https://www.livius.org/articles/concept/roman-jewish-wars/roman-jewish-wars-5/</a> Pile on!!!Please post your...<ul> <li>Prutot of any period</li> <li>First Jewish War coins</li> <li>Bar Kokhba coins</li> <li>Vespasian / Titus / Roman Judean </li> <li>Anything relevant</li> </ul>[/QUOTE]

Create my FREE Account!

Log in or Sign up

Reply to Thread

Useful Searches