The coin, apparently minted by Shimon bar Giora's forces in 69 CE, was found near the Temple Mount – and testifies to a yearning for redemption just before the destruction of the Second Temple.
On the occasion of Tisha B'Av, the Israel Antiquities Authority announces that a bronze coin minted by Jews in Jerusalem in the last year before the destruction of the Second Temple was discovered during excavations conducted by the Authority. The Israel Antiquities Authority, in cooperation with the City of David and the Quarter Restoration and Development Company, at the Jerusalem Archaeological Park – Davidson CenterOn the rare coin, which was discovered near the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount, north of the City of David, appear in ancient Hebrew script the words: "For the redemption of Zion" - expressing the heartfelt wish of the Jews of Jerusalem at the end of the great revolt against the Romans.
The excavations conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority at the site are in their sixth season, under the direction of Dr. Yuval Baruch, Dr. Philip Wakusbowitz, and Esther Rakov-Malt. Impressive monumental building remains dating from the Second Temple period to the Umayyad period, and a wealth of finds – some of them unique – are being uncovered. The excavations are being funded by the Shalem Project and the City of David Association.
According to Esther Rakov-Malet, an archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority"In recent days, a surprise was discovered: Yaniv David Levy, our coin researcher, came here and, to his surprise, found a coin that was covered in dirt. Even then, we thought it might be a rare coin. We waited vigilantly for several days until he returned from cleaning, and it turned out that it was a peace demand from the Jewish rebels in the fourth year of the Great Revolt."
According to Yaniv David Levy, a researcher in the coinage branch of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "The coin is made of bronze and is in fairly good condition. On its obverse side, a model of a cup can be seen, and around it an inscription in ancient Hebrew: 'For the Redemption of Zion.' On the reverse of the coin is a lulav, and next to it are two etrogs with the inscription: 'Year Four.' This inscription symbolizes the number of years since the outbreak of the revolt, and allows us to date the coin precisely to the period between the month of Nisan of 69 and Adar of 70." According to him, "the bronze coins of 'Year Four' are different from the coins that preceded them; their size and weight have increased significantly and the inscription 'Herut Zion,' which appeared until now, has been replaced with a new inscription - 'For the Redemption of Zion.'"
In research, it is generally accepted that coins from Year Four of the Great Revolt were minted in Jerusalem under the leadership of Shimon bar Giora, who was one of the most prominent commanders in the last year of the revolt. Coins from Year Four of the Great Revolt are considered relatively rare, and the vast majority of them were discovered in and around Jerusalem.
According to Dr. Yuval Baruch, director of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and researcher at the site for about 25 years"The inscription on the coin - "For the Redemption of Zion", instead of the previous one - "For the Liberation of Zion" - indicates a profound change in consciousness, and perhaps also the desperate state of the rebel forces about six months before the fall of Jerusalem, on the 70st of Av in August of the year XNUMX. It seems that in the fourth year of the revolt, the mood of the rebels besieged in Jerusalem changed from euphoria and anticipation of liberation, to a depressed mood and hope for redemption. It is also possible that the four species on the coin, which are symbols of the holiday of Sukkot and the time of pilgrimage to the Temple, were intended to arouse among the rebels a feeling of redemption and anticipation of a miracle and good times."
"Two thousand years after the coin was minted, we come and find such moving evidence of the Great Destruction, just days before Tisha B'Av, and I think there is nothing more symbolic than that," concludes Rakov-Malt.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
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The minister responded by virtue of his position as head of the Israel Antiquities Authority, but it is also possible to manage without him.
my father
You were taught that all information is political, it's part of the demand to disconnect people from objective reality in order to control them. Be careful.
A real well-timed bargain with plans by lunatics to take over the Temple Mount. Also the last verse – wow, something really scientific and very enriching, not political at all. When do you publish an opinion column of the Shadow?
Amichai Eliyahu demonstrates to us how we have learned nothing – once again we will rely on our own strength and imagine that God will invent redemption for us.
No need to exaggerate, and besides, what if one of them was your son?
Yes, 20 kidnapped people are the destruction of the house. Let's surrender, expel 7 million, and return to exile because of 20 kidnapped people.
Indeed, while in the synagogues and at the Western Wall they mourn the destruction of the Second Temple, in Hatufim Square they mourn the third.
How symbolic. This demand for peace from the days of the war on the Second Temple – which was destroyed because of gratuitous hatred, comes in the days when we commemorate its destruction. And also (unfortunately) in the days of the war on the Temple, except this time we are fighting with gratuitous love.
And more on the same subject: Chazal say that the etrog is likened to a heart, so we can say that the etrogs symbolize the separation of hearts and the gratuitous hatred that prevailed at that time. And it was, even though everyone wanted the same thing! For the Salvation of Zion, we have the answer of the scale: Despite differences of opinion – there is gratuitous love between us!