Prutah - Alexander Jannaeus Overstruck

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.