Bidspirit auction | Alexander Jannaeus (BC 103-76) Æ

Alexander Jannaeus (BC 103-76) Æ Prutah, Ancient Jewish - One of the very first Jewish coins, a Hasmonean bronze prutah of Alexander Jannaeus, King of Judea (BC 103-76) | Ancient Jewish Æ Prutah - anchor/sun-wheel bronze prutah | Obv: Seleucid anchor and Greek Legend: BASILEOS ALEXANDROU ”King Alexander” | Rev: Eight-spoke wheel or starburst within diadem. Hebrew legend inside/between the spokes: ”Yehonatan Hamelech” (Yehonatan the King).(Alexander Jannaeus the King) | Approx. 13mm | References: Mesh1 Pl.5, Ca1.NotesAlexander Jannaeus (also known as Alexander Jannai/Yannai; Hebrew: יהונתן ”ינאי” אלכסנדרוס‎, born Jonathan Alexander) was the second king of the Hasmonean dynasty, who ruled over an expanding kingdom of Judea from 103 to 76 BC (intertestamental / deuterocanonical period) . A son of John Hyrcanus, the Maccabeean leader, he inherited the throne from his brother Aristobulus I, and married his brother's widow, Queen Salome Alexandra.