Bar Kokhba coin excavated in Modi'in cave

NUMISMATICS: Unearthed Bar Kochba coin points to far-reaching support for rebels against Rome. A late revolt bronze coin discovered where rebels sought refuge in a cave near Modiin indicates geographically widespread Jewish backing of the ultimately bloody Jerusalem uprising (Amanda Borschel-Dan, Times of Israel).

Even as the Jewish people on Lag B’Omer Thursday celebrate the heroism of Simon Bar Kochba in rebelling against the pagan ruling Roman Empire in 132 CE, a tangible symbol of the revolt — a single bronze coin — was recently discovered in a limestone cave outside of the central Israeli city of Modiin.

The discovery of a single bronze coin from the Bar Kochba Revolt so far from the Jerusalem area, until recently considered the center of the rebel’s efforts, is important evidence for historians in corroborating the broad geographical spread of the revolt and its supporters, who presumably took refuge in the new Modiin cave.

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The announcement was made on the Lag B'Omer holiday, which has traditional associations with the Bar Kokhba Revolt. More on that here. For other past posts on the Revolt, start here and follow the links.

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