Alexander Jannaeus ruled as both king and high priest of Judea, a dual authority that made his coinage politically charged from the outset. His prutot are among the most abundant ancient Jewish coins in existence — minted in enormous quantities across a reign of nearly three decades — yet they remain historically loaded. A Pharisee revolt during his reign grew so severe that Jannaeus crucified 800 opponents simultaneously, an act Josephus records in harrowing detail. The coins circulated through precisely that turbulence.
Hendin 1146 is a lepton type frequently encountered in excavations at Jerusalem and Jericho.
Alexander Jannaeus ruled as both king and high priest of Judea, a dual authority that made his coinage politically charged from the outset. His prutot are among the most abundant ancient Jewish coins in existence — minted in enormous quantities across a reign of nearly three decades — yet they remain historically loaded. A Pharisee revolt during his reign grew so severe that Jannaeus crucified 800 opponents simultaneously, an act Josephus records in harrowing detail. The coins circulated through precisely that turbulence.
Hendin 1146 is a lepton type frequently encountered in excavations at Jerusalem and Jericho.