Jerusalem: The Holy City: A Collection of 8 Coins (Eight-Coin Box)

Description

Jerusalem means ”city of peace,“ but during its long existence, this ancient city has rarely lived up to its name. It was been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. The Hebrews, Persians, Macedonians, Maccabees, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuks, Franks, Ayyubids, Mamluks, Ottomans, British, and Israelis have all claimed dominion over Jerusalem at various points in its long and storied history. 

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY INCLUDED

This collection contains eight coins that span almost two and a half millennia of Jerusalem's history:

1. JUDAEA, JOHN HYRCANUS: PRUTAH (134-104 BCE) John Hyrcanus

was King and High Priest of Judea, a ruler of the legendary Hasmonean dynasty

which restored Israel to Jewish power. His issues, the first example of Jewish

coinage, feature a double cornucopia flanking a sacred pomegranate.

Bronze, D: 12-14.5 mm, W: 1.7-2.4 g

2. JUDAEA, HEROD I: PRUTAH (374 BCE) Herod the Great is one of the

Bible's most complex figures. A brilliant politician and the greatest builder in Jewish

history, he was also a paranoid madman who ruthlessly executed anyone he

deemed a threat to his absolute power, whether legitimate rivals, family members,

or innocent babies.

Bronze, D: 12-13.5 mm, W: 1.2-1.9 g

3. ROME, CONSTANTINE I: AE (307-337) The first Christian emperor of

Rome, Constantine sent his mother, St. Helena, to the Holy Places on pilgrimage. He

built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, on the site where Jesus was

believed to have been crucified.

Bronze, D: 15-23 mm, W: 1.5-3.5 g

4.BYZANTINE EMPIRE, HERACLIUS: 12 NUMMI (610-641) In 614, the

Sassanians sacked the city and made off with the True Cross of Jesus Christ.

Fourteen years later, the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius recovered the lost artifact

and returned it to its rightful place in Jerusalem.

Bronze, D: 15-18.5 mm, W: 3-5 g

5. ARMENIA: KARDEZ, POUGH, TRAM, TANK (ca. 13TH - 14TH

CENTURY) Armenia, the first Christian state, was an active participant in the

Crusades, a series of Church-sanctioned expeditions to the Holy Land. The original

Crusaders succeeded in taking Jerusalem, but were only able to hold it for 88 years.

Struck in various denominations, these coins prominently feature the cross.

Bronze, D: 16-24 mm, W: 1.9-4.4 g

6. MAMLUK SULTANATE: FALS (1250-1517) The Mamluks were slaves who

rose up to overthrow their Ayyubid masters. Their sultanate spanned Egypt, Hejaz,

and the Levant, including Jerusalem. The coins feature intricate calligraphy, but no

portraits, because of the Islamic prohibition on graven images.

Copper, D: 17.2-25.1 mm, W: 2.6-3.9 g

7. MANDATORY PALESTINE: 2 FILS (1920-1948) Under terms of the

Sykes-Picot Agreement at the end of the Great War, Great Britain assumed control

of Palestine from the Arabs. British civil administration continued in the region until

Israel was formed in 1948. This 2 mil coin was issued by the government of British

Palestine,

Bronze, D: 28 mm; W: 7.8 g

8. ISRAEL: 50 SHEKELS (1948-) The State of Israel was founded in 1948, after

the end of the Second World War-the first time Jerusalem had been in Jewish

hands since the Roman destruction of the city on 70 CE. This coin features an image

of an ancient coin that dates to the First Revolt period.

Aluminum-Bronze, D: 28 mm; W: 9.0 g