Twenty-seven years ago, the name of Shimon Ben Kosiba–also known as Bar Kochba–was found for the first time at an archaeological dig in Israel. Two months ago, it was found again.
The first reference to Bar Kochba, who led the Jewish revolt against the Roman emperor Hadrian from 132 to 135 C.E., was found in 1960 on a papyrus document unearthed in the Nahal Hever region. The second was found deep in a cave in the Lachish region, just north of the Negev, which apparently served as a hideout for Jews fighting the Romans.
A team of archaeologists headed by Dr. Amos Kloner uncovered a bronze weight bearing the inscription: “Shimon Ben Kosiba, prince and leader of Israel.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
