How Ancient Jews Dated Years

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During the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (66–70 C.E.), which ended with the destruction of the Temple, Jews minted their own coins dated to the first, second, third, fourth and, more rarely, even fifth year of the revolt. In other words, dating began with the beginning of the revolt. Many of the coins also bore legends like “Jerusalem the Holy” or “Freedom of Zion.”

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Footnotes

See Werner Eck, “Hadrian’s Hard-Won Victory,” BAR 33:05

See Hanan Eshel, “Aelia Capitolina: Jerusalem No More,” BAR 23:06.

See Update: Finds or Fakes? “Major Scholars Protest Eshel Arrest,” BAR 32:02.

Endnotes

First published (in Hebrew) by Hanan Eshel, Esther Eshel and Ada Yardeni in Cathedra 132 (2009), pp. 5–24.