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David Harris

“FREEDOM FOR ISRAEL” or “Freedom for Jerusalem” was written in ancient Hebrew script on the coins minted by Simon Bar Kokhba and his rebels during the revolt. Each displayed the year and had symbols such as lyres, two-handled amphorae and seven-branched palm trees. The independently minted coins and the fact that examples of these coins were found all over Judea, from Jericho in the north to Masada in the south, show that the rebels had a significant amount of control over the area despite the presence of a huge Roman military force.