In the images, symbols and words that adorn ancient coins, we read of the hopes and dreams of men, the rise and fall of empires, the comings and goings of kings and queens. Along with this public history is a more intimate, private one, having to do with the people through whose lives this particular coin once passed. This lovely coin glows with the touch of vanished hands, unseen perhaps, but as real as the patina of age. Under the Hasmoneans dynasty, Ancient Israel achieved a remarkable degree of political and cultural independence. This token of that era helps us cross the bridge of time. To wear it in its golden setting is to link us with the unbroken chain of human history.