Bar Kokhba Revolt Bronze Coin with Seven-Branched Palm Tree

An important ancient Judaean bronze coin issued during the Bar Kokhba Revolt (A.D. 132–135), the last major Jewish uprising against Roman rule. The coin features a distinctive seven-branched date palm, a powerful symbol of Judaea’s agricultural prosperity, national identity, and ancestral homeland.

Obverse: A prominently rendered date palm with seven spreading branches, a textured trunk, and clusters of dates suspended beneath the foliage. The tree is surrounded by an ancient Hebrew inscription associated with the revolt’s aspirations for Jewish national independence and the liberation of Jerusalem.

Reverse: A vine leaf with radiating veins and a slender stem, accompanied by Paleo-Hebrew lettering and subsidiary symbols. The vine was an important symbol of the fertility and agricultural abundance of the Land of Israel, frequently appearing in ancient Jewish art and coinage.

Historical Significance

The Bar Kokhba Revolt, led by Simon Bar Kokhba between A.D. 132 and 135, represented the final major attempt to restore Jewish sovereignty following the destruction of the Second Temple in A.D. 70.

During the uprising, the Jewish rebels issued their own distinctive coinage, frequently overstriking circulating Roman provincial coins. These issues deliberately replaced Roman imperial imagery with traditional Jewish symbols, including palm trees, grapevines, musical instruments, and representations associated with the Jerusalem Temple.

The palm tree and vine leaf express the close relationship between the Jewish people, their ancestral homeland, and the religious and agricultural traditions of ancient Judaea.

Numismatic Importance

Coins of the Bar Kokhba Revolt are among the most historically evocative issues of ancient Jewish numismatics. Their Hebrew inscriptions and traditional symbols provide direct material evidence of the political and religious aspirations of the revolt.

The present example preserves a clearly recognizable palm tree and vine leaf, with portions of the surrounding ancient Hebrew inscriptions visible. Its surfaces display natural green and earthen patination consistent with prolonged burial.

REFERENCE #

CO-JU-1011

CIVILIZATION

Ancient Judaea, Second Jewish Revolt Against Rome, Circa A.D. 132–135

CONDITION

Ancient bronze with green and earthen patina, areas of surface wear, and partial preservation of the inscriptions. The principal motifs remain clearly identifiable.

PRICE

$1500

PROVENANCE

Found in Judea