Münze und Macht im Antiken Israel: E-Katalog zur Ausstellung im Kunsthistorischen Museum Wien

Spanning the period from the fourth century BCE to the beginning of the second century CE under Emperor Hadrian, Jewish coinage produced during antiquity allows unique insights into the period’s history. It illustrates Persian rule and the eras of the Hasmonean priest-kings and Herod the Great and continues to the First and finally the Second Jewish War against Rome, which culminated in 135 CE with the destruction of Jerusalem and brought about the end of Jewish coinage.

During the course of this long period, the people of the Jewish world experienced sweeping political and religious changes, which were of decisive significance for the development of Jewish culture and religion. The imagery on the coins mirrors the shifting political situation and recounts the history of this eventful period. It also provides insight into the self-image of the Jewish elite at the time. The term “Jewish coins” refers to the ethnic or religious affiliations of the authorities who issued these coins, less so to the pictorial language actually employed or the dominant political conditions.

The exhibition is undertaken in cooperation with the Israel Museum Jerusalem, with the Department for Numismatic Studies and the Department for Geography and Regional Research at the University of Vienna. This is the first time that the Israel Museum has shown objects in Austria, and many have never been displayed abroad.