The Hindu : Rare coins found

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 19, 2003

International

International

Rare coins found

JERUSALEM: Israeli archaeologists excavating caves near the Dead Sea have found a cache of rare silver coins (in the picture) dating back to a failed 2nd-century Jewish rebellion against the Romans. Archaeological finds relating to the three-year rebellion led by Shimon Bar Kochba are rare, and so the coins add another layer to the story of the families he led into hiding in the caves of the Judean Desert — what turned out to be the end of the second Jewish uprising against the Romans, which resulted in their exile. While some 2,000 coins from the rebellion are known to exist, this is only the second time such coins have been found on site by archaeologists, said an expert. Of particular rarity is the largest Jewish coin ever issued, a 12 gram (1/2 ounce) silver coin, known as the Petra Drachma. One side of the coin shows Jerusalem's second Jewish temple, destroyed by the Romans during the first Jewish rebellion in the year 70. Flip the coin and there's another important Jewish symbol — the image of four plants, known as the four species, used during ceremonies for the festival of Sukkot.

— AP

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