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68
Judaea, Bar Kokhba Revolt. Silver Zuz (2.71 g), 132-135 CE. Hybrid year 1, year 2 (132/3-133/4 CE).
‘Sma’ (Paleo-Hebrew) within wreath of thin branches wrapped around eight almonds, with a medallion at
top and tendrils at bottom. Rev. ‘Eleazar the priest’ (Paleo-Hebrew), fluted jug with handle on left; in right
field, palm branch. (Mildenberg 3 (O3/R1); TJC 235; Hendin 1384). Magnificent quality, one of the finest
known. Delicately toned. Superb extremely fine.
$ 4,000
ex Superior (9-10 December 1994), lot 822.
This and the following three hybrid zuzim mule two obverse dies of different years of the Bar Kochba War. The wreathed obverse
die with the abbreviated name of Simon bar Kochba belongs to the second year (132/3 CE) while the jug obverse die belongs to
the first year and names Eleazar the priest. It has been suggested that Simon’s name is abbreviated here (and on other coins) in such
a way that it could also be read as the word
shema
(“hear”), the first word in Deuteronomy 6: 4 (“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our
God, the Lord is One.”) which is the centerpiece of morning and evening Jewish prayer known as the
Shema Yisrael
and the most
important prayer in Judaism. Literature suggests that the Shema prayer served as a rallying cry for the Bar Kochba rebels.
69
Judaea, Bar Kokhba Revolt. Silver Zuz (3.01 g), 132-135 CE. Hybrid year 1, year 2 (132/3-133/4 CE).
‘Sma’ (Paleo-Hebrew) within wreath of thin branches wrapped around eight almonds, with a medallion
at top and tendrils at bottom. Rev. ‘Eleazar the priest’ (Paleo-Hebrew), fluted jug with handle on left; in
right field, palm branch. (Mildenberg 4 (O3/R2); TJC 235; Hendin 1384).
Very rare - only six specimens
cited in Mildenberg.
Superb extremely fine.
$ 4,000
ex Dr. Jonathan A. Herbst Collection (Superior, 8-9 December 1995), lot 1250.