BAR KOKHBA REVOLT COIN FOUND

 

Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) Monday morning announced the discovery of a rare coin from the Bar Kokhba Revolt period, precisely during its first year in 132 CE, engraved with the name Eleazar the Priest in ancient Hebrew script.

Found in the Mazuq Ha-he'teqim Nature Reserve in the Judean Desert, during a survey in cooperation with Israeli authorities operating to prevent archaeological theft and looting, the discovery leads to its own mysterious case regarding the identity of Eleazar the Priest.

On the reverse of the coin, a bunch of grapes could be seen surrounded by the text Year One of the Redemption of Israel, again in ancient Hebrew script, which may serve as a clue for the researchers alongside providing a time period.

The researchers indicated there were a few possibilities to the identity of the coin's Eleazar, one of whom could be a Tannaic Rabbi from the period of Rabbi Akiva, who was a disciple of Rabbi Yohana ben Zakai.

Alongside the Eleazar the Priest coin were three other coins from the time of the Revolt, bearing simply the name Simeon. In the same Judean Desert area, the IAA Prevention of Archaeological Theft Unit discovered a number of significant finds, including a scroll fragment from the Twelve Minor Prophets, Roman iron swords and the earliest complete basket in the world.

To read the complete articles, see:
Who was Eleazar the Priest? Coin found in Judean Desert unfurls new archaeological mystery (https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/archeology/1709545903-who-was-eleazar-the-priest-coin-found-in-judean-desert-unfurls-new-archaeological-mystery)
Rare coin engraved with the name ‘Eleazar the Priest' found in Judean Desert (https://www.timesofisrael.com/rare-coin-engraved-with-the-name-eleazar-the-priest-found-in-judean-desert/)

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