2,000-Year-Old Coin Depicts Earliest Menorah

Why this is here: The menorah coin was minted during the rule of Mattathias Antigonus, who was the first to combine the titles of high priest and king on currency in both Hebrew and Greek.

A joint operation between Israel and the United States returned two ancient coins to Israel on Monday. The Israel Antiquities Authority received the artifacts in a ceremony held in New York.

One coin, minted in bronze around the first century CE, bears the earliest known image of the seven-branched menorah alongside a showbread table. It was created during the reign of Mattathias Antigonus, who used the coin to present himself as both high priest and king.

The second coin, dating to roughly 2,500 years ago, is a silver coin from Ashkelon. It is one of only two known examples worldwide and features imagery of the Greek goddess Athena. Both coins were illegally looted and intended for sale at auction before authorities intervened.

Robert Kool of the IAA Coin Department noted that the coins, while valuable, lack the full context gained from archaeological excavations. Determining the precise origins and manufacturing locations remains a challenge for researchers. The work to recover and preserve cultural heritage continues.