Oldest coins of Jerusalem

Silver drachmas struck at the beginning of the 4th century BC

(We can also call the category “quarter shekel” according to the Phoenician standard)

 

On the front we see a female frontal depiction that represents a strange blend between the Egyptian goddess Hathor and the Greek Medusa. The shape of the face and hairstyle are close to the depiction of Hathor if we exclude the ears, but at the same time we notice the ends of the hair in the shape of a snake's head, and this refers to Medusa. On the back we see a depiction of a lion devouring a bull, and this is a scene in which the Persian influences are evident, which in turn were influenced by the depiction of the lion and the bull on the coins of Asia Minor. We also notice at the top of the depiction three letters written in the late Aramaic script, which correspond to the three Arabic letters (Y-H-D) from right to left, and they symbolize the name of the province of Judah or Yehudiya, which at that time belonged to the Achaemenid Empire.

This edition is extremely rare.

The piece pictured is on display at the Jerusalem Museum