Coin of Herod the Great

Herod the Great left a legacy of being one of the greatest builders in human history but was also known as paranoid, psychologically unstable, and a brutal tyrant.Instituting major changes in Jewish coinage, Herod still followed biblical restrictions with none of his coins being minted with human representations. The coins however diverged from their predecessors with their inscriptions only in Greek and not Hebrew or Aramaic. He included mainly pagan or Roman symbols with minimal traditional Jewish symbols. He also initiated a system of dating for coins.

Pictured here is a bronze coin minted by Herod, part of the George Blumenthal collection. On the obverse is written BASILEOS ERODOU “Herod the King” with a tripod holding a bowl and the date "year 3" corresponding to 35 BCE.

On the reverse is an incense burner between two palm branches. The earlier coins are believed to still display vessels used in the Temple.