Summary: Two rare coins dating back to the Jewish revolts have been discovered. One of them calls into question the Roman narrative that all Jewish communities north of Jerusalem were completely destroyed and uninhabited after AD 73.
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. – Acts 1:6-7 (ESV)
Excavation Leads to Need for History Rewrite
New discoveries from the Jewish revolts against Rome have shed light on this history-shaping period that witnessed the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Reports of cave looting in the Judean desert created an urgent need for intervention to save possible hidden historical artifacts from robbers. Dr. Dvir Raviv from Bar-Ilan University led an emergency archeological survey of the area, in collaboration with the Binyamin Regional Council.
“We conducted the survey about a year ago with a group of my students,” said Raviv. “We had heard about antiquities looters in the area, and especially in a cave near Wadi Rashash. I visited the cave and I saw pottery sherds and potential for interesting findings.”
The archeological survey conducted led to several finds, most interesting of all were two special revolt coins one of which throws Rome’s version of the Jewish rebellion into question. The Roman narrative claims their retaliation against the First Jewish Revolt was a complete success and all the Jewish settlements in northern Jerusalem were demolished and consequently uninhabited by Jews after AD 73.
But Rome may have exaggerated this story a bit. The newly found coins tell us a different story, one of a continued Jewish presence in the area. It appears the Jewish revolts were more successful than previously thought and many Jews survived in the Judean Desert for much longer after the first revolt. Parts of Roman and Jewish history may need a rewrite.
The Jewish Revolts Against Rome
The First Jewish-Roman War broke out in AD 66, during the 12th year of Emperor Nero’s reign. This was the first of three major rebellions by the Jewish people against the Roman Empire, the second being the Kitos War (115-117 AD) and the third the Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-136 AD).
The devastating result of the first Jewish revolt was the complete destruction of the Jewish Temple in AD 70, resulting in the end of the Jewish sacrificial system. The war was over April 16, AD 73 at the siege of Masada where almost 1,000 Jewish zealots, including men, women and children, all committed suicide rather than be taken as prisoners.
These revolts may have been a near-term fulfillment aspect of Jesus’ statements in Luke 21:
And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down… And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”
Luke 21:5-6, 9 (ESV)
The second revolt, the Kitos War, started when Roman armies were fighting Trajan’s Parthian War on the eastern border of the Roman Empire. Jewish rebels took advantage of the situation and slaughtered some of the remaining Roman garrisons, many Roman citizens and destroyed Roman temples in various parts of the eastern Mediterranean region.
The Bar Kokhba Revolt was the third and final revolt and started because of strict religious restrictions imposed by the Romans, as well as their decision to build a Roman city named Aelia Capitolina over the ruins of Jerusalem, including a pagan sanctuary where the Temple had stood.
Ancient Jewish Coin Making
Making coins was part of the revolts and ancient coins minted by the Jewish rebels can tell us a lot about life in the land of Israel during those years. Important information can be gathered by the geographic distribution of the coins and by their features.
“Coins were considered an expression of sovereignty,” said Donald T. Ariel, head of the Coin Department at the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) to the Jerusalem Post. “Minting coins meant to be free.”
The decorations on the ancient Jewish coins have important symbolism. Some features include the Temple facade, trumpets, a harp/violin, vine leaves, palm trees, which at the time were considered the ultimate symbol of Judea, as well as inscriptions such as “Year One of the Redemption of Israel” or “Year Two of the Freedom of Israel” and “Jerusalem.”
“Some 22,000 coins have been excavated in the area of the Old City of Jerusalem. Of those, three were Bar-Kochba coins. Another few were found in other areas of modern Jerusalem. This is important evidence showing that the city was never captured by the rebels,” Ariel said.
Several hundred such coins have been found in excavations around the Land of Israel. Most of them have been found in the area that was then known as Judea, where the insurgents won some important victories over the Romans and briefly established independence.
Some coins were also uncovered in the caves in the Judean desert (Akrabat) where rebels could find a safe refuge as the war raged. Caves provided shelter from the harsh desert environment and Jewsish rebels brought what they thought they needed for their new life. A recent discovery disclosed in March by the IAA, told of several coins that were found together with the remains of a biblical scroll.
Most Bar-Kochba coins discovered were made out of bronze, except for a couple of dozen out of silver. “A bronze coin was worth a couple of loaves of bread at the market,” Ariel explained. “Silver coins were much more precious and could be used to pay for things such as military equipment, so the Romans were especially not happy to see someone striking them.”
The Bar-Kochba coins were minted uniquely using other coins. “They were struck over other coins, the bronze ones from Ashkelon and Gaza, the silver ones over Roman coins,” Ariel said. “This is the only full series in the ancient world presenting this element.”
The Bar-Kochba revolt was completely quelled by the Romans in 136 AD and led to the destruction of all Jewish towns and villages which had participated in the war and the expulsion of Jewish residents from the Holy Land.
Khirbat Jib’it Coin
One of the newly-discovered coins was found at the Khirbat Jib’it archaeological site, just south of the West Bank town of Duma. It dates back to the first Jewish–Roman War in Judea, also called the Great Revolt. The coin was minted around 67-68 AD, according to Raviv. On one side it bears a grape vine leaf and the Hebrew inscription “Herut Zion” (Freedom for Zion). The other side features an amphora or goblet and the inscription “Year Two.”
The archeological survey conducted at Khirbat Jib’it also led to the discovery of ritual baths, hiding complexes, chalkstone vessels and burial caves belonging to a Jewish community that dates to the time of the first revolt. But that is not the end of the story.
Wadi Rashah Coin
Just a little over a half mile north, the history-changing coin was discovered in a cave on the Wadi Rashash cliffs. This coin dates back to the third and final major war between the Romans and Jews, the Bar-Kokhba Revolt, which took place between 132-136 AD. According to Raviv, this coin was minted around 134-135 AD.
One side of the ancient coin is decorated with a palm branch, possibly a lulav, a ritual plant used during the Jewish Sukkot holiday. The branch is surrounded by a wreath and the inscription LeHerut Yerushalayim (Freedom to Jerusalem). The other side of the coin bears a musical instrument, likely a lyre or harp, as well as the inscription “Shimon,” the first name of the rebellion’s leader, Shimon Ben Kosevah, better known as Bar-Kokhba.
Other artifacts discovered in the area add to a growing awareness of a Jewish presence there. These include some ceramic shards, brought to the cave by Jewish refugees and rebels during the revolt. Glassware and iron relics, including two Roman knives, were also found.
Previously, the Araq en-Na’asaneh Cave located almost four miles south of the Wadi Rashash Cave was thought to be the northernmost refuge cave of the Bar-Kokhba revolt in the Judean Desert.
“The Bar-Kokhba coin from Wadi Rashash indicates the presence of a Jewish population in the region up to 134/5 CE, in contrast to a previous claim that Jewish settlement in the highlands north of Jerusalem was destroyed during the Great Revolt and not inhabited afterward,” Raviv said.
“This coin is also the first evidence that the Acrabatta [Akrabat] region, the northernmost of the districts of Judea during the Roman period, was controlled by the Bar-Kokhba administration.”
Both sites of Khirbat Jib’it and Wadi Rashash are located about 19 miles northeast of Jerusalem.
Conclusion
The Binyamin Regional Council and the grassroots heritage preservation organization Shomrim al Hanetzach (Preserving Eternity) said in response to the discoveries that the area is full of archaeological remains and antiquities, which are being robbed and destroyed by local Arabs. The council and the organization called on the government to adopt a national emergency plan to save the sites.
Binyamin Regional Council chairman Yisrael Gantz said: “We have a national obligation to preserve these precious finds that tie us to this place. The Israeli government must take responsibility for its heritage and prevent ethno-religious robberies and vandalism.”
Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: It was in this area of Wadi Rashash where the later coin (from the Bar Kokhba Jewish revolt against the Romans; 132-136 AD) was discovered in a cave. (credit: Tal Rogovsky, Bar-Ilan University)
