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The Coinage of the First Year As a Point of Reference for the Jewish Revolt (66-70 CE)*

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The Coinage of the First Year As a Point of Reference for the Jewish Revolt (66-70 CE)* The Coinage of the First Year as a Point of Reference for the Jewish Revolt (66-70 CE)* James S. McLaren There has been a notable absence of coinage in discussion of the 66-70 CE Jewish revolt. At best, it plays a minor role in the reconstructions. Ἀ key contention of the fol­ lowing discussion is the need to redress the existing imbalance. David Goodblatt made a significant step forward in this task with his recent investigation of a distinctive feature of the inscriptions on the bronze issues, the use o f‘Zion’.1 Here a more limited scope of interest is addressed, the coinage issued in the first year of the revolt. The context for this interest in the coinage lies in previous comments made about the difficulties of using Josephus’ account of the war.2 In our efforts to understand the revolt we have fallen prey to Josephus’ broad interpretation of how to read the situation. If our goal is to understand what happened and why then we need to gain independence from his interpretative framework. Rather than concede that such a task was impossible, it was proposed that a case study approach could be employed. However, there was no attention paid to other sources of information that could possibly provide alternative frameworks by which to understand the revolt. Here we turn to the coinage of the first year to consider what role, if any, it can play in examining the war. As such, a crucial rider to what follows is that we not confine the coinage within the framework of Josephus’ reconstruction. Rather than consider how we can read the coinage within the narrative of Josephus we need to consider the possibility of reversing the process and reading Josephus in relation to the coinage. In practical terms the investigation is guided by three related historical questions: on a broad level, what can we learn about the start of the revolt from the coinage? Of a more targeted nature: can the coinage provide any insight about the leadership of the revolt and its motivation at the outset? The third question draws us back to the issue of how we reconstruct the past: can the coinage help resolve the ongoing divide in Α number o f people have generously provided assistance in the course o f this investigation. My thanks to Donald Ariel, Robert Deutsch, Yeshu Dray, Haim Gitler, David Hendin, Christopher Howgego, Alla Kushnir-Stein, Bob Leonard, Peter Richardson and Martin Goodman and those who attended the presentation o f an earlier version o f the paper at the University o f Oxford. I am also grateful for the comments o f the two SCI readers. Any shortcomings in the arguments presented are entirely the responsibility o f the author. D. Goodblatt, ‘Ancient Zionism? The Zion Coins o f the First Revolt and Their Back­ ground’, International Rennert Guest Lecture Series 8 (2001). See also the brief comments o f J.J. Price, Jerusalem under Siege. The Collapse o f the Jewish State 66-70 CE (Leiden, 1992) 67-8, 197-8 and Μ. Goodman, The Ruling Class o f Judaea. The Origins o f the Jewish Revolt Against Rome, AD 66-70 (Cambridge, 1987) 158, 178 regarding the potential im­ portance o f the coins. J.S. McLaren, Turbulent Times? Josephus and Scholarship on Judaea in the First Century CE (Sheffield, 1998). Scripta Classica Israelica vol. XXII 2003 pp. 135-152 136 THE COINAGE OF THE FIRST YEAR AS A POINT OF REFERENCE scholarship regarding how to read Josephus’ account of 66 CE? Our exploration of these questions will proceed in three parts. We commence with a brief review of the coins. In the second part we will explore four key questions about the production of the coins: where, when, why and who? The final part of the investigation will consider the possible implications of the coinage for existing scholarly reconstructions of what hap­ pened in 66 CE. Chance has had a significant part to play in the survival of the coins and it is appar­ ent that whatever picture we construct remains subject to the possibility that new dis­ coveries may alter our understanding. Furthermore, we must engage in some creative reconstruction about the circumstances lying behind the production of the coins given their lack of explicit indicators. Yet the great advantage of the coins is that they do not look back on the revolt from after the event. They are not post 70 CE reflections and interpretations.3 Rather, they are part of the unfolding reality of what occurred during the revolt and, therefore, are free of the hindsight that burdens the literary accounts of Josephus. 1. The features of the first year coinage We commence with a brief description of the coins. There are three denominations of silver: shekels, half-shekels and quarter shekels. While there are several examples of the shekel and half-shekel very few examples of the quarter shekel have survived.“4 Those hoards of coins found in situ were mainly located in the environs of Jerusalem, Masada and Jericho.5 All the coins depict a vessel, possibly a cup or chalice, on the obverse.6 Above the vessel is the symbol ‘ 1 ’, represented by the letter aleph. Also on the obverse around the outside of the symbol is the inscription ‘shekel of Israel’, which is bordered by a circle of dots.7 On the reverse of all coins is a plant, probably a branch with three pomegranates in transition between bud and flowering. The inscription ‘holy Jerusalem’ surrounds the branch of pomegranates and is bordered with a circle of dots. All the in­ scriptions are in a paleo-Hebrew script. The coins are thick, uniform in size, shape and See the cautionary comments o f W.E. Metcalf, ‘Coins as Primary Evidence’, in G.M. Paul and Μ. Ierardi (eds.), Roman Coins and Public Life under the Empire. Ε. Togo Salmon Pa­ pers II (Michigan, 1999) 1-17. It is probable that the low number o f quarter shekels found dating to the first year is because few were produced. The only other surviving examples o f quarter shekels date to the fourth year of the war. Y. Meshorer, A Treasury of Jewish Coins (NY/Jerusalem, 2001) 132-3 provides a list o f the seven major hoard finds. See also D. Arid, Ἀ Survey o f Coin Finds in Jerusalem’, LA 32 (1982) 273-326 regarding the distribution o f coin finds around Jerusalem. Meshorer, Treasury nos. 183-191. The following description is based on the characteristics o f the shekels. Any variation between the different types o f coins is noted as appropriate. Unless otherwise stated all the references to Jewish coins are based on the examples cited in Meshorer, Treasury. The variants are: ‘half-shekel o f Israel’ and ‘quarter-shekel o f Israel’. Meshorer, Treasury nos. 183-184a, 187-189, 191 (shekel), nos. 185, 188, 190 (half shekel), no. 186 (quarter shekel). This is the only significant point o f variation in the inscription between the three denominations. JAMES S. MCLAREN 137 axis, with hammered edges and they contain a very high level of silver content.8 Although all the coins display the same images and inscription there are at least two types of the shekel in the first year. In one type there is an inner circle of dots that sur­ rounds the vessel and aleph on the obverse and the branch of pomegranates on the re­ verse.9 In the second type the inner circle of dots is removed and the respective images are enlarged and refined.10 11 From this basic description there are a number of important observations to make which indicate the uniqueness of these coins. First and foremost, this is the earliest sur­ viving example of silver coinage issued by Jews in their own right." Not one of the Hasmonean or Herodian rulers minted silver coins. Second, this was also a first for the use of ‘shekel’ and the various fractional denominations. In fact, even the decision to identify any type of denomination was in itself an unusual feature. Third, these coins are the earliest extant example of the use of two names, ‘Israel’ and ‘Jerusalem’ on Jewish coinage.12 Fourth, the use of the vessel depicted on the obverse was without precedent.13 Three further aspects of the coins, although not unique in themselves, help reinforce their distinctive nature. One is the high level of silver content. Not only did it outstrip the level of silver in the Roman tetradrachms from Antioch but it also matched or bet­ tered the level found in the Tyrian ‘shekels’. Second, the use of a paleo-Hebrew script was a clear break from the current practice on the Herodian and provincial coinage of the period. It did, however, resemble the practice of some earlier Hasmonean issues.14 The third aspect is the date marker. The practice of providing a date according to an era 8 Meshorer, Treasury 119 states the level o f silver as being 98%. R. Deutsch is currently un­ dertaking research on die-links and metallurgy o f the 66-70 CE revolt coins that will help provide more detailed information about such issues as the silver content o f the coinage. See also V. Clain-Stefanelli, Ἀ New Quarter Shekel o f the First Year o f the Jewish War’, INJ 2.1-2 (1964) 7 and Η. Kreindler, ‘The Application o f SEM for Authentication o f an Impor­ tant Find o f Year Five Shekels of The Jewish War’, INJ 9 (1986-87) 43-5.
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