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Yehud Coins

The first Jewish coins, tiny silver pieces stamped 'YHD' for the Persian province of Judah

Return, Persia & the Maccabees · coin · Accepted by scholars · found 1814

Tiny silver coin with an owl and Aramaic letters
Photo: CNG · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons — A Persian-period Yehud coin naming the governor Yehezqiyah (Hezekiah).

Found 1814 — The 'Yehud drachm' entered the British Museum in 1814 (its Aramaic legend was long misread as 'Gaza'); excavated Yehud coins have since come from Jerusalem, Beth Zur, Tell Jemmeh and many other sites

Where Province of Yehud (Judah); various sites (Israel)

Dates from c. 380–260 BCE · Late Persian to early Ptolemaic · Province of Yehud after Ezra and Nehemiah

Now at Israel Museum, Jerusalem; British Museum, London (the seated-deity drachm, BM 1814,0704.2 area); Israel Antiquities Authority collections

Names a biblical person Johanan the priest ('Yohanan the priest' identification with Neh 12:22 probable, not certain)

How Yehud Coins was found

Mostly single finds in excavations and hoards; the famous drachm is unprovenanced. The reading 'YHD' was established in the 1930s (E. L. Sukenik).

What it is

Minute silver coins (many under half a gram) with Athenian-style owls, lilies, falcons or an ear, and the Aramaic or paleo-Hebrew legend יהד / YHD ('Yehud'). Some name governors ('Yehezqiyah the governor') or 'Yohanan the priest'. The British Museum drachm shows a bearded figure seated on a winged wheel.

Why it matters for the Bible

These are the earliest coins issued by a Jewish authority and prove that Yehud was a recognized province with its own mint, as Ezra and Nehemiah assume. The coin of 'Yohanan the priest' shows the high priest sharing civic power, foreshadowing the Hasmoneans. The seated figure on the drachm has been read by some as a depiction of YHVH and by others as Zeus or a Persian deity; the debate shows how little we know of popular religion in the province.

The Hebrew word: ye-HOOD

יְהוּד

יְהוּד is pronounced ye-HOOD and means Yehud, the Aramaic name of the province of Judah (Strong's H3061).

People this discovery connects to

Places

Events

Persian provincial administration of Judah · Growth of priestly authority in the Second Temple

Yehud Coins in Scripture

Ezra 5:8 The Aramaic letter calls the land 'the province of Judah' (Yehud medinta), the same name stamped on the coins.

Nehemiah 5:14-15 Nehemiah as governor refuses the governor's food allowance; later governors' names appear on these coins.

Nehemiah 12:22 First mention of Johanan in Scripture.

Questions people ask

What is Yehud Coins?
Minute silver coins (many under half a gram) with Athenian-style owls, lilies, falcons or an ear, and the Aramaic or paleo-Hebrew legend יהד / YHD ('Yehud'). Some name governors ('Yehezqiyah the governor') or 'Yohanan the priest'. The British Museum drachm shows a bearded figure seated on a winged wheel.

When was Yehud Coins discovered?
It was found in 1814 by The 'Yehud drachm' entered the British Museum in 1814 (its Aramaic legend was long misread as 'Gaza'); excavated Yehud coins have since come from Jerusalem, Beth Zur, Tell Jemmeh and many other sites, at Province of Yehud (Judah); various sites.

Where is Yehud Coins today?
Israel Museum, Jerusalem; British Museum, London (the seated-deity drachm, BM 1814,0704.2 area); Israel Antiquities Authority collections.

Which Bible verses does Yehud Coins relate to?
Ezra 5:8, Nehemiah 5:14-15, Nehemiah 12:22.

Related discoveries

Sources

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