Judea is a historical region located in the southern highlands of Palestine, in the ancient Near East. During the Roman Empire, it included Galilee and Samaria. Other important cities were Hebron, Jericho, and Bethlehem.
It currently corresponds to the West Bank and the region around Jerusalem.
Classification of Judean coins
1. Persian Period (6th-4th centuries BC)
- Yehud Coin: Small silver coins, the first from the province of Yehud under Persian rule. They often bear inscriptions in Aramaic or Paleo-Hebrew, such as "Yehud," and sometimes the names of governors, such as Yehezqiyah. Many models are imitations of the Athenian owl, but with Hebrew inscriptions.
2. Hellenistic Period (4th-2nd centuries BC)
- Coins influenced by Alexandria, the Seleucids, and later the Ptolemies. Some coins still bear the legend "Yehud," but Greek and Egyptian symbols appear. Local production continues, with increasingly smaller coins adapted to the rural economy and the needs of the Temple of Jerusalem.
3. Hasmonean or Maccabean Period (ca. 140-37 BC)
- It coincides with Jewish independence following the Maccabean rebellion. For the first time, large quantities of bronze coins were minted, almost always without human or animal representations, mainly with Hebrew legends such as "High Priest" and "Council of the Jews."
4. Herodian Period and Roman Procurators (37 BC-66 AD)
- Coins issued by Herod the Great, his successors, and the Roman procurators. Greco-Roman icons and, occasionally, brief legends in Hebrew may appear. The Herodian and Roman kings issued copper prutot, often with symbolic motifs (anchors, palm trees, grains of wheat).
5. Period of the Jewish Revolts
- First revolt against Rome (66-73 AD): Shekels, half-shekels, bronze prutot with nationalist legends in Hebrew (e.g. "Holy Jerusalem", "The Liberty of Zion") and motifs such as ritual cups, trophies and branches.
- Bar Kohba Revolt (132-135 AD): Coins overminted on Roman currency, with Jewish motifs and independence slogans in Paleo-Hebrew.
