What do you guy think about this coin? http://www.vcoins.com/ancient/saharcoins/store/viewitem.asp?idProduct=943 Ruben
The Bar Kofka revolt is worth reading about... They would have turned over Rome if they had pursued the Romans and the empire would have went up in flames. They didn't have such interest, and was strictly focused on Israel. The Romans regrouped and slaughtered most of the nation in a genocidal rage. Ruben
I seriously doubt the Jewish rebels would have been able to overthrow the whole Empire. Maybe take over most of the Levant and cause a huge problem. As for the Roman's treatment of the rebels, it was nothing new for them or the ancient world in general.
At the time of the revolt Roman Legoins where putting down sympathetic reisitance and revolt through out the entire empire. They came within a hairs breadth of the whole thing blowing up in their face. Ruben
Actually, you might be right, I might be thinking of the first Jewish Revolt, when they razed the Temple. The Temple was becoming an independent political force through out the empire and its influence was vast amoung the non-Jews. The Bar Kofka rebelion is covered extensively at the height of the the Yom Kipper services because of the brutal murder of the major Rabium of the time. For Jews, this is living history and that ancient. Ruben
Speaking of the temple, haven't they just found two coins in the Temple Mount "dirt"? I read that a 14-year-old boy found a piece dated 66/67 featuring a pomegranate twig and the words "Holy Jerusalem"; the other side shows a chalice and the value "half shekel". The other coin is from the second century BC and shows Antiochus Epiphanes IV. Have not seen any pics yet though ... Christian
The conditions in which they were found are pitiful. Sifting through debris tossed from the Temple Mound. They're essentially useless to archaeology now.
The story involving the 14 y/o boy that I had read about is a little more recent but it's "dust" from the same site: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1048260.html That article also addresses the issue why you cannot simply dig right at the temple location (which from an archeological POV would make much more sense): Excavations are not possible there. But checking the dirt from an apparently unauthorized earlier digging (by the Muslim authority in 1999) is OK of course ... Christian
That has been going on for years. The Palestinians have been digging up the mount and trying to prevent any evidence of the Temple in an effort to rewrite history. And the Israeli's haven't wanted to kick over that kettle which is a political powder keg to do anything about it. Its a hopeless situation. Ruben
Now here's your Hanukkah gelt, Ruben. http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/22/israel.rare.coins/index.html Not really ancient pieces, but finding more than 250 gold coins is still great ... Christian
Thanks for thinking of me. What is interesting that these were in the City of David and you'd think, if you ever saw it, that they'd find nothing there. Its been escavated for over fifty years and its one of the biggest tourest stops on earth. Ruben
That's a neat little hoard. I wonder how careful that excavation is. It would be interesting if they found fibers in the matrix to suggest the hoard was buried in a bag.
early 7th century...then they can't be Judean. I don't think that the Jewish persian dependancy that lasted for five or six years starting in 610 issued any coins. If they're Byzantine, then they aren't Judean either.