Message #40886

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Dear Marcos,

     We find the star of David already in 2nd Temple Period, but it is found at that time also among the Samaritans and later it was also a Moslem symbol. Originally it was David's name's first and last letters (2 Deltas, overlapping; the delta was the ancient Hebrew script's 'daled').
 
     The six petaled rosette looks like a star of David  made of six oval petals.
The French 'fleur de lis' design is actually copied from the 'Lily of Sharon', first found on the hemi-obol coin from the Persian province of Judah (the coin even has 'YHD' in ancient Hebrew script on it), from ca.450 BCE, and then found on the Hasmonaean coins of the Maccabees, ca. 170-58 BCE. 
How did you add the Hebrew script (shoshan)?
Best,
Joey

Hi Joey,

Here is another thing I learnt from you today. I knew the Star of David became widespread only in Medieval times, but never heard about the six petaled flower as an earlier symbol. Is that flower the lillies that grow in the Galil (שושן)?