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Ancient Judaea Widow`s Mite Coin, 135 to 37 BC NGC, Maccabean Kings Coins Of The Bible
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Ancient Judaea
2000 Year Old Copper Prutah Coin
Coins Of The Bible - 'Widow's Mite'
From the Year 135 BC to 37 BC
A Prutah or Biblical Widow's Mite coin of the Maccabean Kings. Dating it to the years 137 BCE to 37 BCE
"Widow's mite" coins, as they are commonly regerred to, were the smallest denomination of coins in ancient Judea. Although strictly speaking this is the slightly larger(both in size and denomination) Prutah and not the smaller Lepton coin. They are both now commonly referred to as Widow's Mite coins. These coins are thought to be the ones referred to in the Bible in Luke 21:1-4:
"and Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury; and many that were rich cast in much. And He called unto him His disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had"
All of the Hasmoneans/Maccabean issued small bronze prutahs with double-cornucopiae on one side and a Hebrew inscription on the other, as follows:
"(The name of the Jewish leader) High Priest (Cohen Gadol) and the Community (Chever) of the Jews (Yehudim)." The Hebrew inscriptions found on coins are:
"Yehochanan Kohen Gadol Chever Hayehudim" (Yehochanan the High Priest, Council of the Jews).
"Yehochanan Kohen Gadol Rosh Chever Hayehudim" (Yehochanan the High Priest, Head of the Council of the Jews).
"Yehonatan Kohen Gadol Chever Hayehudim" (Yehonatan the High Priest, Council of the Jews).
"Yehonatan Hamelech" (Yehonatan the King).
"Yehudah Kohen Gadol Chever Hayehudim" (Yehudah the High Priest, Council of the Jews).
"Malka Aleksandros" (King Alexander)
"Matityahu Kohen Gadol Chever Hayehudim" (Matityahu the High Priest, Council of the Jews).
"Matityahu HaKohen" (Matityahu the High Priest).
"Mattityah"
The prutah was an ancient copper coin of the Second Temple period of Israel with low value. A loaf of bread in ancient times was worth about 10 prutot (plural of prutah). One prutah was also worth two lepta (singular lepton), which was the smallest denomination minted by the kings of the Hasmonean and Herodian dynasties.
Prutot were also minted by the procurators of Roman Judaea, and later were minted by the Jews during the First Jewish-Roman War (sometimes called "Masada coins").
