AIAS Jacobson 2023 Beginnings Judean Coinage

This lecture was delivered online on 16 November 2023, and explores two very different phases of coin production in the history of Ancient Judaea.
The first Judaean coins were minted in the late 5th century, towards the end of Achaemenid Persian rule in the Levant. This run of production was brought to an end in the mid 3rd century BC.
There was a fresh start under Hasmonaean rule, with the patronage of Antiochus VII Euergetes (Sidetes), with production lasting till the overthrow of Antigonus Mattathias by Herod the Great in 37 BCE.
These two phases of coin issues are widely different in character. Professor Jacobson’s lecture explores the differences between them and the historical insights these provide.
Dr Jacobson holds doctorates in both Materials Science and Classical Archaeology. A Trustee of the AIAS, he was formerly Editor of the Palestine Exploration Quarterly (1993-2015) and Strata (2019-2023). His most recent book, Agrippa II, the Last of the Herods (2019), was awarded the Shekel Prize Medal by the American Israel Numismatic Association for 2021.