Yohohanan the King

Denomination:  Bronze prutha        

Date:  135-104 BCE

Description:

On the obverse - ‘Yehohanan the High Priest and the Council of the Jews’ within a wreath. On the reverse - pomegranate between two cornuacopiae

John Hyrcanus I, the youngest son of Simon Maccabeus, was high priest and ruler of the Jewish nation from 135/134 to 104 BC. Under his reign the Hasmonean kingdom of Judaea in ancient Israel attained power and great prosperity, and the Pharisees, a scholarly sect with popular backing, and the Sadducees, an aristocratic sect that comprised the priesthood, became well-defined religious parties.