Rare Bar Kochba Coin Uncovered in Jerusalem
A bronze coin from the time of the Bar Kochba revolt was found at the foot of the Temple Mount near the City of David. This is the only coin with the inscription "Jerusalem" found in ancient Jerusalem.
- גבי שניידר
- פורסם י"ז אייר התש"פ
(Photo: Kobi Harati, City of David) #VALUE!
In anticipation of Lag B'Omer, the Israel Antiquities Authority revealed a rare bronze coin from the Bar Kochba revolt period, discovered at the foot of the Temple Mount.
The coin, dating back to around the year 132 CE, was uncovered during archaeological excavations in the William Davidson Archaeological Park, near the Western Wall and City of David in Jerusalem. The dig was led by archaeologists Moran Hajabi and Dr. Joe Uziel from the Israel Antiquities Authority, funded by the City of David Foundation (Elad).
On one side of the coin, there is a cluster of grapes accompanied by the inscription 'Year Two of the Freedom of Israel'. The other side features a palm tree with the inscription 'Jerusalem'.
This is the only coin found within the boundaries of ancient Jerusalem with the word "Jerusalem". Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority speculate that a Roman soldier from the 10th Legion found the coin during battles throughout the region and kept it as a souvenir at the camp in Jerusalem.
Coins from the Bar Kochba revolt, which declared the rebels' goal to liberate Jerusalem from Roman occupation after the city's destruction, are well-known in archaeology. Their discovery assists researchers in mapping the revolt, which took place approximately 1,900 years ago. According to Dr. Donald Tzvi Ariel, head of the Coin Department at the Israel Antiquities Authority, only four coins out of about 22,000 discovered in archaeological excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem date to the Bar Kochba revolt.
According to archaeological and historical research, the revolt broke out in 132 CE after Emperor Hadrian declared the establishment of a Roman colony named "Aelia Capitolina" on the ruins of Jewish Jerusalem and began constructing a pagan temple on the Temple Mount. The founding of this Roman city, the building of the pagan temple, and religious decrees stirred the remaining Jewish population in Judea after the destruction of the Second Temple. The revolt against Roman rule was led by Shimon Ben Kosiba, known as "Bar Kochba". The Roman forces suffered heavy losses and had to send significant reinforcements from across the empire. After about five years, the revolt was suppressed, and hundreds of Jewish settlements and villages that took part were destroyed.
