The Paleo-Hebrew Script in Achaemenid, Hellenistic and Early Roman Jewish Coinage
The Paleo-Hebrew Script in Achaemenid, Hellenistic and Early Roman Jewish Coinage

Summary/Abstract: Despite the dominance of the square Aramaic script in most contexts, Jewish minting authorities almost exclusivelyused the Paleo-Hebrew script for Hebrew and Aramaic coin legends from the Achaemenid period until the Bar KokhbaRevolt. This paper reconsiders the dominant interpretation of the script as a ‘nationalistic’ reflection of an assertiveJudean identity and an archaising gesture designed to evoke the First Temple period, arguing instead that a morecomplex combination of factors contributed to its use. The paper begins by analysing the iconography of Jewish issuesduring this period, which drew heavily on Hellenistic, Phoenician, Roman procuratorial, and other local artistictraditions, and arguing that a purely ‘nationalistic’ understanding of the coins’ Paleo-Hebrew legends consequentlypresents interpretative problems. I then suggest that a nationalistic interpretation is also complicated by thePaleo-Hebrew script’s close similarity to the Phoenician script, which was widely used in Phoenician municipal coinage(particularly during the Achaemenid and Hellenistic periods). The paper then proposes new explanations for thescript’s adoption. Firstly, I suggest that, during the Achaemenid, Ptolemaic, and Hasmonean periods the Paleo-Hebrewscript was partly selected precisely for its similarity to Phoenician. As such, during these periods, it not only reflected alocal identity, but also engagement with regional commercial and cultural networks. Secondly, I propose that thescript’s adoption by rebel authorities during the Jewish Revolt did not only communicate pride in Jewish history, butalso the need for the rebel administrations to project authority and legitimacy by using conventional designs.

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