Coins (prutot) of the Hasmonean kings Mattathias Antigonus, Judah Aristobulus, and Alexander Jannaeus (Yehonatan)

In 167 BCE, in response to decrees by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175–164 BCE) prohibiting the observance of Jewish religious laws, a Jewish revolt broke out under the leadership of Mattathias the Hasmonean and his sons, the Maccabees. After 25 years of battle, an autonomous Jewish kingdom was established. The Hasmonean Period was a time of cultural and political florescence, but it came to an end due to internal strife and the Roman conquest. Hasmonean coins featuring Jewish symbols and inscriptions in ancient Hebrew script bear witness to the kings of this dynasty and their political sovereignty.Credit: Extended loan from Bank Leumi; Extended loan from J. Chaim Kaufman, Antwerp; Gift of Haim Bessin, Ottawa