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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Judean & Biblical Coins| ▸ |Biblical Coins| ▸ |Cities in the Bible||View Options:  |  |  |   

Cities in the Bible

The coins below were minted by cities that are mentioned in the bible. Click here to read about the travels of Paul.

Judaea (Yehudah), Ptolemaic Rule, Ptolemy II Philadelphos, 285 - 246 B.C.

|Greek| |Domination|, |Judaea| |(Yehudah),| |Ptolemaic| |Rule,| |Ptolemy| |II| |Philadelphos,| |285| |-| |246| |B.C.||1/4| |drachm|
This is apparently only the second known specimen of this type. All the references given describe the same coin and the plates share photos of a single specimen from the S. Moussaeiff Collection. This coin was struck with the same obverse die but it appears to be from a different reverse die. See the Moussaeiff Collection coin here.
JD99501. Silver 1/4 drachm, Hendin 6088 (RRR); Lorber CPE 710; Gitler-Lorber II Group 7, 15; Deutsch Unrecorded 4; Meshorer TJC -; Mildenberg Yehud -, gVF, toned, deposits, obv. off center, edge splits, weight 0.876 g, maximum diameter 10.4 mm, die axis 315o, Jerusalem mint, probably 272 - 261/0 B.C.; obverse diademed head of Ptolemy I right; reverse eagle standing half left on thunderbolt, wings open, head left, Aramaic, Aramaic (YHDH) on left, read right to left (upward); ex CNG auction 117 (19-20 May 2001), lot 328 (listed as a quarter ma'ah in error); $19000.00 SALE PRICE $17100.00
 


Judaea, Achaemenid Persian Yehud Province, c. 375 - 332 B.C.

|Persian| |Rule|, |Judaea,| |Achaemenid| |Persian| |Yehud| |Province,| |c.| |375| |-| |332| |B.C.||gerah|
"The notable relationship between man and his god was that between supplicant and listener: the supplicant voices his prayer and entreaties to his god, and the god listens and tries to carry out his wishes. Thus the god's most important organ was his ear that heard the prayer..." -- Y. Meshorer in A Treasury of Jewish Coins.

"Incline Thine ear, O Lord, and answer me" (Psalms 86:1)

"for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord" (Numbers 11:18).
JD99503. Silver gerah, Hendin 6060 (RR), Menorah Coin Project YHD 13 (01/R1), Meshorer TJC 18, HGC 10 440, Bromberg -, Shoshana -, Sofaer -, VF, toned, off center, light marks and scratches, die wear, edge split, weight 0.295 g, maximum diameter 8.2 mm, Jerusalem (or nearby) mint, c. 350 - 332 B.C.; obverse ear (of God?); reverse falcon upward, head right, wings open, Aramaic (YHD) on right, read right to left (upward); very rare; $4200.00 SALE PRICE $3780.00
 


Judaea, Achaemenid Persian Yehud Province, c. 375 - 332 B.C.

|Persian| |Rule|, |Judaea,| |Achaemenid| |Persian| |Yehud| |Province,| |c.| |375| |-| |332| |B.C.||half| |ma'ha| |(1/48| |shekel)|
Yehud, or Yehud Medinata (Aramaic for Province of Judah), was a province of the Persian Achaemenid Empire which corresponded to the previous Babylonian province of Yehud, which was formed after the fall of the kingdom of Judah to the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 597 B.C. The territory, which was ruled by mostly Jewish governors, was considerably smaller and held a far smaller population than the kingdom of Judah before the Babylonian conquest. Yehud existed until the area was incorporated into the empires of Alexander the Great and his successors.
JD99502. Silver half ma'ha (1/48 shekel), Hendin 6062 (RR), Menorah Coin Project YHD 15 (01/R1), Meshorer TJC -, Bromberg -, Shoshana -, Sofaer -, Spaer Coll. -, HGC 10 -, F, dark toning, off center, weight 0.339 g, maximum diameter 8.3 mm, die axis 180o, Jerusalem (or nearby) mint, c. 350 - 332 B.C.; obverse incense bowl with flame and smoke; reverse falcon upward, head right, wings open, Aramaic (YHD) on right, read right to left (upward); Coin Archives records only one specimen of the type at auction in the last two decades; very rare; $3700.00 SALE PRICE $3330.00
 


The First Jewish Revolt, 66 - 70 A.D.

|First| |Jewish| |Revolt|, |The| |First| |Jewish| |Revolt,| |66| |-| |70| |A.D.||eighth| |shekel|NEW
On 14 April 70 A.D. Titus surrounded Jerusalem. He allowed pilgrims to enter to celebrate Passover but this was a trap to put pressure on supplies of food and water; he refused to allow them to leave. On 10 May he began his assault on the walls. The third wall fell on 25 May. The second wall fell on 30 May. On 20 July Titus stormed the Temple Mount. On 4 August 70 A.D. Titus destroyed the Temple. The Jewish fast of Tisha B'Av mourns the Fall of Jerusalem annually on this date.
JD111611. Bronze eighth shekel, Sofaer 47, Kadman III 37, Hendin 6398 (S), Meshorer TJC 214, SNG ANS 455, BMC Palestine -, Choice VF, complete legends, applied patina, reverse edge beveled, small edge split, weight 5.059 g, maximum diameter 19.1 mm, die axis 0o, Jerusalem mint, year 4, 69 - 70 A.D.; obverse Paleo-Hebrew: To the redemption of Zion, Omer cup with a pearled rim; reverse Paleo-Hebrew: Year four, Lulav (myrtle, palm and willow branches tied together), flanked on each side by an etrog (citron - small lemon like fruit); from the collection of a Texas clergyman, professionally cleaned and patina enhanced by J.P. Fontanille; ex Zurqieh (UAE); $600.00 SALE PRICE $540.00
 


Elagabalus, 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D., Aelia Capitolina (Jerusalem), Syria Palestina

|Roman| |Judea| |&| |Palestina|, |Elagabalus,| |16| |May| |218| |-| |11| |March| |222| |A.D.,| |Aelia| |Capitolina| |(Jerusalem),| |Syria| |Palestina||AE| |24|NEW
In 132, a messianic, charismatic Jewish leader Simon bar Kokhba started the Bar Kokhba revolt, a war of liberation for Judea against Rome. At first the rebellion was a success. The legion X Fretensis was forced to retreat from Jerusalem to Caesarea. The legion XXII Deiotariana, which advanced from Egypt, was destroyed. The Jews re-established their sacrifices and struck coins to celebrate their independence. The rebellion would last for only 30 months. By 135, the Romans had recaptured Jerusalem, Simon bar Kokhba was dead, and the majority of the Jewish population of Judea was either killed, exiled, or sold into slavery. Jerusalem was renamed Colonia Aelia Capitolina and an altar to Jupiter was erected on the site of the Temple. After these events, the Jews would remain scattered without a homeland for close to two millennia.
RP111378. Bronze AE 24, Unpublished bust variant; cf. RPC VI T9060, Meshorer Aelia 129, Kadman Aelia Capitolina 126, Rosenberger 64, Sofaer 126, F/aF, earthen deposits, rev. weakly struck, weight 8.221 g, maximum diameter 23.9 mm, die axis 0o, Aelia Capitolina (Jerusalem) mint, 218 - 222 A.D.; obverse IMP C M A ANTONINVS (or similar), laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Elagabalus right, seen from behind; reverse COL A C C P F (Colonia Aelia Capitolina Pius Felix), Tyche-Fortuna standing left, wearing turreted crown, right foot on helmet(?), sacrificing at horned altar at her feet with her right hand, long scepter vertical in left hand, aquila (legionary eagle standard) to left of altar, uncertain object in exergue; this is the only specimen of this bust variant known to FORVM; extremely rare; $280.00 (€282.80)


Julia Soaemias, Augusta 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D., Sebaste, Samaria, Syria Palaestina

|Roman| |Judea| |&| |Palestina|, |Julia| |Soaemias,| |Augusta| |16| |May| |218| |-| |11| |March| |222| |A.D.,| |Sebaste,| |Samaria,| |Syria| |Palaestina
||AE| |22|
Beautiful Persephone lived a peaceful life far away from the other deities, a goddess within Nature herself before the days of planting seeds and nurturing plants. She was innocently picking flowers when Hades, god of the Underworld, burst through a cleft in the earth and abducted her. While Demeter searched desperately for her daughter she neglected the earth and caused nothing to grow. Zeus, pressed by the cries of hungry people, determined to force Hades to return Persephone. However, Hades had tricked Persephone into eating pomegranate seeds, and because anyone who consumes food or drink in the Underworld is doomed to spend eternity there, she is forced return to the underworld for a period each year. Explaining the seasons, when Demeter and her daughter are reunited, the Earth flourishes with vegetation and color, but for the months each year when Persephone returns to the underworld, the earth becomes barren.
RP110276. Bronze AE 22, RPC Online VI T8902 (16 spec.); Rosenberger 34; BMC Palestine p. 81, 18; SNG ANS 1084; Sofaer 39; Lindgren I A2438A; Meshorer City Coins -, VF, green patina, tight flan, some porosity, small edge splits, weight 11.087 g, maximum diameter 22.3 mm, die axis 235o, Sebaste (Sebastia, Israel) mint, 16 May 218 - 11 Mar 222 A.D.; obverse SVAEMIAS AVGVSTA SEB, draped bust of Julia Soaemias right; reverse COL L SE SEBASTE, Hades abduction of Persephone: Hades in quadriga right, looking back, holding reins and Persephone, Eros flying right above, Athena advancing right behind, holding shield and about to hurl spear; serpent right over basket before, cista(?) below; $240.00 SALE PRICE $216.00
 


Antoninus Pius, August 138 - 7 March 161 A.D., Ascalon, Philistia, Judaea

|Roman| |Judea| |&| |Palestina|, |Antoninus| |Pius,| |August| |138| |-| |7| |March| |161| |A.D.,| |Ascalon,| |Philistia,| |Judaea||AE| |22|
The Philistines conquered Canaanite Ashkelon about 1150 B.C. and it became one of the five Philistine cities that were constantly warring with the Israelites and the Kingdom of Judah. The last of the Philistine cities to hold out against Nebuchadnezzar, it finally fell in 604 B.C.; burned and destroyed, its people exiled, the Philistine era ended. Ashkelon was rebuilt, dominated by Persian culture. After the Alexander's conquest, Ashkelon was an important Hellenistic seaport. The Jews drove the Greeks out of the region during the Maccabean Revolt, which lasted from 167 to 160 B.C. In 63 B.C. the area was incorporated into the Roman Republic. Cleopatra VII used Ashkelon as her refuge when her brother and sister exiled her in 49 B.C. The city remained loyal to Rome during the First Jewish Revolt.
RY110574. Bronze AE 22, cf. Yashin 200 - 202; RPC IV.3 T10145/2 (2 spec., one with this bust); Rosenberger I 169; BMC Palestine -, Sofaer -, aF, well centered, red-brown patina, weight 11.076 g, maximum diameter 21.8 mm, die axis 0o, Askalon (Ashqelon, Israel) mint, 141 - 142 A.D.; obverse CEBA(?), laureate draped, and cuirassed bust right, short beard; reverse ACKAΛW, Tyche-Astarte standing slightly left on galley, turreted head left, standard in right hand, apluster in left hand, incense altar over E left, dove standing left over EMC (year 245) on right; Coin Archives records only one specimen of the type at auction in the last two decades; extremely rare; $180.00 SALE PRICE $207.00 ON RESERVE


Julia Soaemias, Augusta 16 May 218 - 11 March 222 A.D., Sebaste, Samaria, Syria Palaestina

|Judaea| |&| |Palestine|, |Julia| |Soaemias,| |Augusta| |16| |May| |218| |-| |11| |March| |222| |A.D.,| |Sebaste,| |Samaria,| |Syria| |Palaestina
||AE| |20|
Sebaste was in the heart of the mountains of Samaria, a few miles northwest of Shechem. The city was called Samaria when it was a capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th and 8th centuries B.C. According to Josephus, King Herod the Great renamed Sebastia in honor of emperor Augustus.
RP110275. Bronze AE 20, RPC Online VI T8901 (8 spec.); Rosenberger III 36; Sofaer 37; Meshorer City Coins -; BMC Palestine -, VF, green patina, highlighting earthen deposits, weight 9.996 g, maximum diameter 20.5 mm, die axis 15o, Sebaste (Sebastia, Israel) mint, 16 May 218 - 11 Mar 222 A.D.; obverse SVAEMIAS AVGVSTA SEB, draped bust of Julia Soaemias right; reverse COL L SE SEBASTE, front view of temple with four columns, wreath in pediment, Capitoline Triad within: Jupiter in center seated facing on throne, long scepter in right hand, flanked by Juno on right, standing left, and Minerva on left, standing right, resting hand on shield; rare; $225.00 SALE PRICE $203.00
 


Judean Kingdom, Herod the Great, 37 - 4 B.C.

|Herod| |the| |Great|, |Judean| |Kingdom,| |Herod| |the| |Great,| |37| |-| |4| |B.C.||2| |prutot|
Meshorer TJC 48 and 48a are described with an open diadem but the plate coins have closed diadems. The diadems on Meshorer 49 are open. This coin appears to have an open diadem.
JD111337. Bronze 2 prutot, Meshorer TJC p. 222 & pl. 44, 49; Sofaer 19; Hendin 6211a (S); HGC 10 654; RPC I 4905; BMC Palestine p. 223, 28 ff., VF, well centered with full legend, dark patina, highlighting earthen deposits, weight 2.911 g, maximum diameter 17.9 mm, die axis 315o, Jerusalem mint, c. 30 B.C.; obverse HPΩΔOY BAΣIΛEΩΣ (Greek: of King Herod), cross surrounded by a open diadem; reverse shallow bowl on a tripod table, flanked by curved palm branches; scarce; $225.00 SALE PRICE $203.00
 


Aelia Capitolina (Jerusalem), Syria Palestina, c. 135 - 250 A.D.

|Holyland| |Bulk| |Lots|, |Aelia| |Capitolina| |(Jerusalem),| |Syria| |Palestina,| |c.| |135| |-| |250| |A.D.||Lot|
In 132, a messianic, charismatic Jewish leader Simon bar Kokhba started the Bar Kokhba revolt, a war of liberation for Judea against Rome. At first the rebellion was a success. The legion X Fretensis was forced to retreat from Jerusalem to Caesarea. The legion XXII Deiotariana, which advanced from Egypt, was destroyed. The Jews re-established their sacrifices and struck coins to celebrate their independence. The rebellion would last for only 30 months. By 135, the Romans had recaptured Jerusalem, Simon bar Kokhba was dead, and the majority of the Jewish population of Judea was either killed, exiled, or sold into slavery. Jerusalem was renamed Colonia Aelia Capitolina and an altar to Jupiter was erected on the site of the Temple. After these events, the Jews would remain scattered without a homeland for close to two millennia.
LT110272. Bronze Lot, 3 Aelia Capitolina (Jerusalem) bronze coins, 18.8 - 26.4mm, c. 135 - 250 A.D.; ex Robert Feuer Collection, unattributed, no tags or flips, the actual coins in the photograph, as-is, no returns, 3 coins; $200.00 SALE PRICE $180.00
 




  



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REFERNCES

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