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Coin Jewelry :
Jewish Coin Rings : Bronze Coin of Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus
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Bronze Coin of Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus - FJ.2561
Origin: Israel (Jerusalem)
Circa: 103
BC
to 76
BC
Collection: Coin Jewelry
Medium: Bronze and Gold
£3,500.00
Location: UAE
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| Description |
Obverse: Upside Down Anchor Encircled by Greek
Inscription “King Alexander”
Reverse: Star of Eight Rays Surrounded by a Diadem
The ancient Kingdom of Judea reached the height of
its power during the reign of the Maccabean (or
Hasmonean) King Alexander Jannaeus, who ruled
Ancient Israel from 103-76 B.C. The youngest son of
Jehohanan Hyrcanus, Jannaeus was imprisoned for a
year by his oldest brother, Aristobulus. Released by
his widowed sister-in- law, Salome, whom he later
married, Alexander conquered a series of coastal
cities from Gaza to Carmel, extending Judean control
from the Mediterranean to Gadara across the Jordan
River. He ruled more territory than any Judean king
since the time of Solomon. Yet he faced mounting
criticism from Jews inside Jerusalem for embracing
the increasing Hellenization of the Near East.
Eventually, a civil war erupted between those forces
loyal to Jannaeus and the pious rebels who enlisted
the aid of King Demetrios of Syria, whose Kingdom,
the Seleucids, once ruled the lands of Judea and
Samaria before Maccabean Independence. However,
after being led to a stunning victory by Demetrios’
forces, the rebels soon realized that the Syrian army
planned to march onwards into Jerusalem and they
rallied around their King Jannaeus. In the end,
Alexander met his fate on the battlefield, on the
outskirts of Gadara, ever battling to secure the
borders of his Kingdom.
How many hands have touched a coin in your pocket
or your purse? What eras and lands have the coin
traversed on its journey into our possession? As we
reach into our pockets to pull out some change, we
rarely hesitate to think of who touched the coin
before us, or where the coin will venture to after us.
More than money, coins are a symbol of the state
that struck them, of a specific time and place,
whether contemporary currencies or artifacts of long
forgotten empires. This stunning hand-struck coin
reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and intricate
sculptural details that are often lacking in
contemporary machine-made currencies. The coins
of Alexander Jannaeus include inscriptions in both
Hebrew and Greek, indicating the influence of
Hellenized areas within Judea. Depicted on the
obverse, the anchor, depicted upside down, as it
might be seen hung on the side of a boat ready for
use, was adopted from the Seleucids, who used it to
symbolize their naval strength. On the reverse, the
star symbolizes heaven. The struggle of Jewish
independence, as represented by this coin, has in
modern times finally come to an end. This coin
reconnects us with the past, with those who fought
to maintain their independence against oppressive
empires that sought to dominate them and their land.
- (FJ.2561)
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