The Bar Kochba coin is from the time of the Second Jewish revolt, from 132-135 CE. The emperor Hadrian had originally seemed supportive of the Jews, promising them a homeland and a Temple, but went back on his word. In the 120s CE, the Jews began preparing for a rebellion.

Under the superb leadership of Simon Bar Kochba, the Jews revolted in 132, establishing 50 or so Judean strongholds and capturing nearly 1,000 villages and towns, including Jerusalem. Jews, and even some gentiles from other countries joined the rebellion.

During the few years of Jewish independence under Simon Bar Kochba, the Bar Kochba coins were minted, bearing inscriptions “Year One of the Redemption of Israel,” and “For the Freedom of Jerusalem,” as well as inscriptions of “Shim’on Prince of Israel,” referring to their leader.

Eventually, 12 Roman legions in Judea managed to finally demolish the Jewish strongholds and recapture the 900-plus villages.The final battle took place in Bethar, where thousands of Jews had fled during the rebellion. On the 9th day of Av, which is the Jewish fast commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples, Bethar fell and every Jew in Bethar was killed. It is estimated that half a million Jews died during the Second Rebellion.

Afterwards, Hadrian discriminated against religious Jews and all Judeo-Christian sects, enacting several anti-Jewish decrees, and the persecution continued until the end of Hadrian’s reign in 138 CE.

To mint the Bar Kochba coins during the Second Rebellion, the Jews gathered all bronze and silver foreign coins that circulated in Judea, filed off the original designs and re-struck them with Jewish symbols and Hebrew inscriptions. The Bar Kochba coins are among the most religiously profound coins issued by the ancient Jews.

The Bar Kochba coins were the final coins issued by an autonomous Jewish state until Israel’s establishment in 1948. But it appears that many Bar Kochba coins gained a second life after the revolt, because several have been found with holes drilled through them carefully, so as not to obscure the designs. Even as the Bar Kochba coins became worthless as legal tender, many people proudly wore them as jewelry, defiantly wearing the symbols associated with the rebellion and the destroyed hopes of building a new Temple in Jerusalem.

Today, Bar Kochba coins can be made into beautiful jewelry without having to drill through them, resulting in beautiful items of jewelry that eloquently tell the story of one of the most important chapters in ancient Jewish history.

The Second Jewish revolt, which took place from 132 to 135 CE, is also known as the Bar Kochba Revolt. It took place during the time of the emperor Hadrian, who had at first expressed support for the Jews, promising that they could have a homeland and a Temple. Because he went back on his word, the Jews began preparing for a rebellion in the 120s CE.

The Bar Kochba Revolt was led by Simon Bar Kochba, a gifted military leader. Under him, the revolt began in the year 132. The Jews were able to establish some 50 strongholds, and they captured 985 villages and towns, including Jerusalem. The revolt was so popular that Jews from outside Judea and even gentiles joined them.

A short-lived Jewish state was established during the Bar Kochba Revolt. The Jews controlled an area ranging from around 30 km north of Jerusalem, southward to the Be’er Sheva Valley. Some rebels sought refuge in caves east of Jerusalem, and an archaeological expedition in early 2010 found a large cache of coins from an area to the west of Jerusalem, proving that they also sought refuge there, in the Judean hills close to Betar.

It turned out that Betar was the last Jewish stronghold of the Bar Kochba Revolt.

By the year 135 CE, a dozen Roman legions in Judea finally recaptured the villages and strongholds of the Jews. The final battle of the Bar Kochba Revolt took place on the day of the Jewish fast commemorating the destruction of the Temples. On that day, Betar fell, and every Jew there was killed. Some historians estimate that half a million Jews died during the Bar Kochba Revolt.

After that time, the emperor Hadrian discriminated most harshly against religious Jews, but he also forbade Christians and any Judeo-Christian sects from visiting Jerusalem. He also enacted a number of anti-Jewish laws and continued his persecution until his reign ended in 138 CE.

During the brief time of Jewish autonomy during the Bar Kochba Revolt,  the Jews minted coins by gathering all bronze and silver foreign coins, filing the original designs off, and re-stamping them with their own inscriptions hailing the freedom of Jerusalem. These coins are some of the most profound and meaningful coins in Jewish history.

In fact, coins of the Bar Kochba Revolt were the last ones to be struck by a self-governing Jewish state until the modern state of Israel was established in 1948.