22 / 120
36
Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Prutah (3.43 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 2 (67/8 CE). ‘Year two’ (Paleo
Hebrew), amphora with broad rim and two handles. Rev. ‘The freedom of Zion’ (Paleo-Hebrew), vine leaf
on small branch with tendril. (TJC 196; Hendin 1360). Well centered and struck. Nice desert green patina.
Extremely fine.
$ 150
Purchased privately from D. Hendin at the NYINC, December 1984.
Although struck by the Jewish rebels against Rome, the the prutot of the Jewish War take much of their typological inspiration from
the earlier coinages struck for Judaea by the Roman praetorial government.
37
Judaea, The Jewish War. Æ Prutah (1.96 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 2 (67/8 CE). ‘Year two’ (Paleo
Hebrew), amphora with broad rim and two handles. Rev. ‘The freedom of Zion’ (Paleo-Hebrew), vine leaf
on small branch with tendril. (TJC 198; Hendin 1360b). Dark brown patina with light sandy highlights.
Extremely fine.
$ 150
Purchased privately from H. Kriendler, October 1987.
Like many of the prutot struck for Judaea under the Roman administration and the Herodian and Hasmonean dynasties, the prutot
of the Jewish War were struck on a large scale. Even so we must keep in mind that the “mint” in an ancient society was nothing like
the modern factory style mint we understand today. Ancient mints may have been small and with only a few employees. There is
evidence that ancient mints produced coins only periodically, and for this reason it is quite likely at some times and in some geo-
graphic areas where there was a shortage of small money, irregular issues, such as this coin, were manufactured. The irregular issues
were, quite simply, irregular in their manufacture, their design, their legends, and their metallurgy. Irregular coins during the Jewish
War were likely made at multiple locations. One thing we definitely know about these irregular coins is that archaeological evidence
proves that they were used side-by-side and apparently without discrimination between the regular issues. In this respect they may
be considered similar to the Hard Times tokens of the United States or the Condor tokens of England.