Money Talks: Bar Kokhba Revolt: Secrets of the Coins with David Hendin

Bar Kokhba was a rebel Jewish leader in Judaea who led a revolt against the Roman Empire from 132–135 CE. His coins differed in many respects from the Judean coins that preceded them—depicting the Jerusalem Temple, which had been destroyed in 70 CE, and many elements of Jewish worship. Why did they focus on the nation of “Israel” rather than “Judea?” What was the shekel of the time of Bar Kokhba? How and why were the coins manufactured? Who was the mysterious “Eleazar the Priest”?

ANS Vice President and Adjunct Curator David Hendin discusses the mysteries of these coins and place them into their context as the last ancient Judean coins.