Judaea, The Jewish War. Silver Shekel (13.95 g), 66-70 CE. Jerusalem, year 4 (69/70 CE). 'Shekel of Israel' (Paleo-Hebrew), ritual chalice with pearled rim, the base raised by projections on both ends; above, 'year 4'. Reverse: 'Jerusalem the holy' (Paleo-Hebrew), staff with three pomegranate buds, round base. Hendin 1364; Deutsch 7 (O2, R7), Deutsch's recent study shows a total of only 53 known year 4 shekels. TJC 207. This being the finest specimen in private hands. Lustrous. Mint State. Value $40,000 - UP
The fourth year (AD 69) of the Jewish Revolt against Rome marked the beginning of the end for the rebels. Although they had enjoyed some initial success against forces sent against them by Cestius Gallus, the Roman legate of Syria in the first year of the revolt (AD 66), in the second year, command of the war was given to the general Vespasian, who immediately set about crushing the rebels in Galilee. By the end of the Galilee campaign of AD 67, Vespasian is said to have killed or enslaved some 100,000 rebels and had taken prisoner Joseph ben Matityahu, a man who had been the governor of Galilee for the rebel provisional government in Jerusalem, but became the historian of the Jewish Revolt under his Latin name, Flavius Josephus. In the third year (AD 68), Vespasian had established his headquarters at Caesarea Maritima and embarked upon new campaigns to repress Jewish rebels in Samaria, Idumaea and the hill country of Judaea, leaving only Jerusalem and its immediate environs as well as several fortresses, like Masada, in rebel hands. Vespasian halted his seemingly inexorable advance in the summer after news arrived that Nero had committed suicide and chaos reigned in Rome as military commanders raced to claim the imperial purple for themselves. At last, on July 1 of the fourth year of the Jewish Revolt (AD 69), Vespasian was proclaimed emperor by his troops and departed to take power in Rome, leaving his son Titus to carry on the war against the rebels.Unfortunately, the Jewish rebels did not make good use of the respite brought by the Year of the Four Emperors. Instead most of AD 68 and 69 was taken up by a civil war that erupted when John of Gischala the radical leader of the failed rebellion in Galilee withdrew to Jerusalem. There was already great tension in the city between Ananias ben Ananias, the priestly moderate leader of the rebel provisional government and the Zealots who had taken possession of the Temple. John initially supported Ananias in besieging the Zealots in the Temple, but then assisted the besieged in obtaining aid from the Idumeans. Ananias was killed in the resultant fighting and the Zealots splintered into two mutually hostile factions: one recognizing the leadership of John of Gischala and the other recognizing Eleazar ben Simon. The unstable rule of the Zealot factions became increasingly tyrannical and in early spring AD 69, the remnants of the shattered provisional government somewhat unwisely invited Simon bar Giora and his army of Sicarii ("dagger-men") into the city in an effort to regain some measure of control. A violent three-way conflict for dominance in Jerusalem ensued between the three factions that was only brought to a shaky truce by the arrival of Titus and his legions before the walls of Jerusalem in April AD 70. The fourth year of the Jewish Revolt had been frittered away on senseless and bloody fighting between faction leaders in Jerusalem when it could have been better used to fight the Romans before they reached the gates of the Holy City. By the time Titus was present and preparing for a siege it was far too late. Jerusalem and its people were thus condemned to an horrific fifth and final year of the Jewish Revolt by leaders who could not see the big picture, but only their own egos, and cared only for their own personal aggrandizement and power. The extremely rare shekels of the fourth year of the Jewish Revolt tend to be somewhat cruder in style and in the quality of engraving than the issues of the preceding three years, no doubt reflecting the political and military chaos in Jerusalem at the time of their production. The coins were probably struck within the Temple precinct and most likely from the silver collected in it, as there can have been few other sources of bullion for the beleaguered Jews in AD 69. Since John of Gischala and his Zealots controlled the Temple in year four of the Jewish Revolt it seems very likely that they were the driving force behind the shekels struck in this year.