JUDAEA, First Jewish War. 66-70 CE. Prutah

During the First Jewish–Roman War, Jewish rebels in Jerusalem minted their own bronze coinage as a declaration of independence from Roman rule. One of the most common of these coins was the prutah, a small, low‑value bronze coin.

A typical wartime prutah—especially those from Year 2 (67–68 CE)—features:

Obverse: An amphora (a large storage vessel) with a Paleo‑Hebrew inscription meaning “Year Two.” [judaism-and-rome.org]

Reverse: A vine leaf with the inscription “Freedom of Zion,” expressing the rebels’ ideological message of liberation and national identity. [judaism-and-rome.org]

These coins were hammered at the Jerusalem mint, modest in size (roughly 17–18.5 mm), and irregular due to wartime conditions. Despite their simplicity, they serve as powerful archaeological evidence of the Jewish struggle for autonomy during the revolt