Image Details

Our only picture of the entrance to the Portico of Herod’s Temple appears on this rare, silver didrachma coin minted during the Second Jewish Revolt against Rome (132–135 A.D.). The stairs at the bottom of the picture and the lintel at the top indicate that this depiction represents the outer entrance rather than the portal to the Sanctuary. Two apparent columns on each side may really be doorposts. In confirmation of textual information, the coin shows that the lintel widened from bottom to top. The object between the doorposts may represent the table of the shewbread, as suggested by Professor Dan Barag. The coin’s inscription spells “Shimon” (Simon), the first name of Bar-Kokhba, the leader of the Second Jewish Revolt.