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Prutah - Alexander Jannaeus Overstruck
| Issuer | Judea |
|---|---|
| Year | 104 BC - 76 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Prutah |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Paleo-Hebrew inscription arranged within a wreath, reading 'Yonatan the High Priest and the Council of the Jews.' The legend is rendered in archaic Hebrew script and encircled by a wreath of olive or laurel branches. As an overstrike, traces of the underlying coin's design may intrude upon the field. The irregular flan and crude style are characteristic of Hasmonean bronze coinage of this period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Double cornucopia, adorned with ribbons and facing outward symmetrically, with a pomegranate depicted between the horns. The overstrike has obliterated nearly all traces of the underlying coin's design, though vestiges of the previous type may occasionally be detected in the flan. The double cornucopia is a hallmark device of Hasmonean royal coinage, symbolizing prosperity and abundance. The die work is characteristic of the rough, hand-struck technique employed at the Hasmonean mint in Jerusalem. |
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| Additional information |
Alexander Jannaeus issued more bronze prutot than any other Hasmonean ruler, and the sheer volume of that output created a practical problem: earlier coins of inferior or inconvenient types were simply overstruck rather than melted. On this piece, ghosted traces of the undertype survive beneath the new impression — a characteristic feature of the series that actually helps specialists reconstruct which earlier Hasmonean issues were still circulating during Jannaeus's reign.
Jannaeus ruled as both king and high priest, a dual authority that generated genuine unrest among his Pharisaic subjects. A six-year civil war during the 90s BC may explain certain irregular striking periods within this long coinage.