Reign of King Alexander Jannaeus (103-76 B.C.)

Obverse : Lily surrounded by Hebrew inscription “Yehonatan the King”.

Reverse : Inverted anchor within circle and Greek inscription “ALEXANDROU BASILEWS” (Alexander the King).

Found in Judea. In good and original condition with natural patina.

14-16 mm diameter; 2.1-3.1 g

Worldwide shipping and Certificate of Authenticity included in price.

Export Approval from Israel Antiquities Authority.

Bibliography:
David Hendin, “A Guide To Biblical Coins 5th Edition”, (Amphora Books, 2010), 476.

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Alexander Jannaeus (also known as Alexander Jannai/Yannai), king of Judea from (103 BCE to 76 BCE), son of John Hyrcanus, inherited the throne from his brother Aristobulus, and appears to have married his brother's widow, Shlomtzion or "Shelomit", also known as Salome Alexandra, according to the Biblical law of Yibum ("levirate marriage"), although Josephus is inexplicit on that point.
Prutah is a Hebrew word which appears in the Mishna and Talmud (between the 1st century BCE and 5th century CE). A loaf of bread was worth about 10 prutot (plural). One Prutah was made up of two lepta, which was the smallest denomination minted under the Jewish kings. The Lepton (singular) is called in the King James version of the Bible - Mite. The Prutah was the most commonly minted coin of the Jewish Kings and Roman rulers of the period.

Antique Coins
Ancient coins