Obverse: A Chalice Surrounded by the
Inscription: “Shekel of Israel/Year Two”
Reverse: Sprig of Three Pomegranates
Surrounded by the Inscription: “Jerusalem the
Holy”
In 66 A.D., while Nero was Emperor of Rome, the
last Roman Procurator Florian was accused of
stealing from the Temple. To mock him,
protestors took up a collection of coins for the
relief of the "poverty-stricken" Procurator.
Showing a rather poor sense of humor, Florian
sent troops to put down the disorder. This led to
a full-scale rebellion. The Roman troops
eventually surrendered, but were killed anyway.
By now, the rebellion had grown to a full-scale
war. The Jews in Jerusalem started minting their
own coins, with victory slogans, such as this
Perutah. But there was also fighting among the
Jews, as the more extreme elements took control
from (and eliminated) the moderate leaders,
under whom the rebellion had started. Nero
sent his distinguished general, Vespasian, to
stamp out the Jewish rebellion. But political
troubles at home led Nero to commit suicide,
and Vespasian headed back to Rome to claim the
Emperorship for himself, leaving his son Titus in
charge of the Judaean campaign. Vespasian was
ultimately successful in his quest for the throne,
and as Titus was also ultimately successful in
crushing the Judaean rebellion. As a finishing
touch, the Temple where the last of the Jewish
rebels in Jerusalem had holed up was burned to
the ground in 70 B.C.
How many hands have touched a coin in your
pocket or your purse? What eras and lands have
the coin traversed on its journey into our
possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull
out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of
who touched the coin before us, or where the
coin will venture to after us. More than money,
coins are a symbol of the state that struck them,
of a specific time and place, whether
contemporary currencies or artifacts of a long
forgotten empires. This stunning hand-struck
coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and
intricate sculptural details that are often lacking
in contemporary machine-made currencies. The
struggle of the Jewish people to rule their
homeland, as represented by this coin, has finally
come to an end in modern times. This coin
reconnects us with the past, with those who
fought and struggled for their freedom against
an oppressive Empire almost two thousand year
ago.
- (C.2249)
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