Zuz - Simeon bar Kosevah Year Three

Struck during the final year of the Bar Kokhba revolt, the Year Three issues were produced as Roman forces under Julius Severus systematically destroyed Jewish strongholds across Judea. The mint — almost certainly operating from cave complexes or temporary field locations rather than any fixed facility — was overstriking Roman provincial silver, which is why careful examination often reveals underlying host-coin details beneath the Jewish types.

Bar Kokhba's own letters, recovered from the Cave of Letters near the Dead Sea in 1960, show him requisitioning silver from civilian sources to maintain exactly this coinage. Year Three pieces are notably scarcer than Year Two issues, reflecting the revolt's collapse before a full annual production cycle could be completed.