A Scarce Judaea Capta

[David Atherton]

For a Flavian collector there is nothing better than acquiring an unmolested sestertius ... especially a 'Judaea Capta' type. My latest is a visually appealing and scarce variant struck in 71 AD. Honest wear is preferable to pristine 'enhancement'.

 

Vespasian
Æ Sestertius, 23.94g
Rome mint, 71 AD
Obv: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r.
Rev: IVDAEA CAPTA; S C in exergue; Palm tree; to l., Judaea std. l. on cuirass; to r., Captive stg. l.; both figures surrounded by arms
RIC 165 (R). BMC 540. BNC 494. Hendin 1502.
Acquired from Sebastian Sondermann, June 2023.

In 70 AD Jerusalem was besieged and sacked and the Temple razed by the Roman forces commanded by Titus Caesar. The following year a massive joint Triumph was held in Rome for Vespasian and Titus to celebrate their successful conclusion of the Jewish Rebellion. Coins were also issued to commemorate their victory. These so called 'Judaea Capta' coins first appeared in late 70 just after the fall of Jerusalem in August, both in the precious metals and at first sparingly in bronze. It wasn't until 71, the year of the triumph, that the bronze coinage came into its own with a whole host of 'Judaea Capta' types. Probably the most famous of these depicts the ubiquitous date palm with a standing bound captive and a seated Judaea, both surrounded by arms. The second bronze issue of 71 saw these produced in massive quantities with a few different variations on the theme. This coin is a rarer variety featuring Judaea seated to the left of the palm and the standing captive to the right. It is more commonly encountered with the position of the figures reversed.

Modern viewers see this as a forlorn scene of defeat, however, to the Roman coin designers the images are meant to convey victory over a worthy foe. The Jewish War was an important event for the fledgling Flavian dynasty - in essence it gave them the legitimacy to rule. The ensuing propaganda onslaught after the 'Gotterdammerung' fall of Jerusalem is awe inspiring. The coins were a major part of the regime's propaganda commemorating Vespasian's defeat of the Jews and saving the empire. Their efforts paid off, for even today this 'Judaea Capta' type is one of the most iconic and recognised reverses in the whole of Roman coinage.

 

In hand.

 

Please feel free to share your own 'Captas'.

As always, thank you for looking!

[Salomons Cat]

Beautiful coin!

The First Jewish-Roman War must have been incredibly cruel. I find it fascinating how the Romans could be proud of that. At the same time, Vespasian is remembered as one of the most humane and "likeable" Roman Emperors, I would say? To me, these coins reveal an interesting part of human psychology that I struggle to understand.

I bought a Titus Judaea capta in the last Leu auction, but it hasn't arrived yet. It will probably need a few weeks. Judaea capta is definitely one of my favorite reverse types. But they're so expensive that I can probably not afford owning more than one 🤔 So, hopefully this coin will look good in hand.

Titus, as Caesar, 69-79. Denarius (Silver, 16 mm, 3.62 g, 6 h), Antiochia, 72/3. T CAES IM[P VESP P]ON TR POT
Rev. Palm tree; to left, Titus standing, left foot set on helmet, holding spear in his right hand and parazonium in his left; to right, Judaea seated in attitude of mourning, her head resting on her hand. BMC 518. Cohen 392. RIC 1562. RPC II 1934.

*5th edit*
I'm somehow not able to finish a text before I click on "Save". I always publish a post, then I edit it several times and then it looks completely different - sorry 😂

Edited July 17 by Salomons Cat

[Roman Collector]

Wonderful coin, @David Atherton! And, of course, as a specialist, one must acquire the mirror-image reverse types. As an Antonine collector, I see the phenomenon of dies being manufactured in mirror image. In the Antonine period, at least (where we have die studies to demonstrate the phenomenon), these were produced simultaneously with the "normal" types, suggesting a design error by the engraver. The engraver may have mindlessly copied a coin, forgetting that it would be reversed on the coin itself. I also suspect that the mint didn't think this was a big deal or that numismatists centuries in the future would assign different values and catalog numbers to them. To the mint, a sestertius was a sestertius.

[Limes]

Great addition @David Atherton! Wondering, how many types have you acquired by now? 

Here are my issues, one in bronze and one in silver. 

[Ancient Coin Hunter]

Reading Josephus, the war was incredibly cruel, including the slaughtering of the citizens of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. Josephus himself was a rebel leader who became a turncoat for the Romans. His ability to interpret Vespasian's dream and advise on the strategic capabilities of his former colleagues solidified his position. If you think about it, Rome's great age of money - producing contests was coming to an end, with a vast fortune being taken from Judaea. Trajan's Dacian War 30 years in the future was the last time Rome would enjoy a successful heist of an opponent's riches. Hence, most of the money in circulation was passed through the mints and new portraits were struck for each reign, also with many coins staying in circulation for extended periods.  Without new sources of income, eventually debasement was the only way to expand the money supply, resulting in inflationary pressures.

[ominus1]

5 hours ago, Salomons Cat said:

Beautiful coin!

The First Jewish-Roman War must have been incredibly cruel. I find it fascinating how the Romans could be proud of that. At the same time, Vespasian is remembered as one of the most humane and "likeable" Roman Emperors, I would say? To me, these coins reveal an interesting part of human psychology that I struggle to understand.

I bought a Titus Judaea capta in the last Leu auction, but it hasn't arrived yet. It will probably need a few weeks. Judaea capta is definitely one of my favorite reverse types. But they're so expensive that I can probably not afford owning more than one 🤔 So, hopefully this coin will look good in hand.

Titus, as Caesar, 69-79. Denarius (Silver, 16 mm, 3.62 g, 6 h), Antiochia, 72/3. T CAES IM[P VESP P]ON TR POT
Rev. Palm tree; to left, Titus standing, left foot set on helmet, holding spear in his right hand and parazonium in his left; to right, Judaea seated in attitude of mourning, her head resting on her hand. BMC 518. Cohen 392. RIC 1562. RPC II 1934.

*5th edit*
I'm somehow not able to finish a text before I click on "Save". I always publish a post, then I edit it several times and then it looks completely different - sorry 😂

point of view...yeah....:)..

[David Atherton]

8 hours ago, Limes said:

Wondering, how many types have you acquired by now? 

 

Oddly, I haven't counted them all! My guess would be 50-60 different types and varieties or more.

[David Atherton]

8 hours ago, Ancient Coin Hunter said:

Reading Josephus, the war was incredibly cruel, including the slaughtering of the citizens of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. Josephus himself was a rebel leader who became a turncoat for the Romans. His ability to interpret Vespasian's dream and advise on the strategic capabilities of his former colleagues solidified his position. If you think about it, Rome's great age of money - producing contests was coming to an end, with a vast fortune being taken from Judaea. Trajan's Dacian War 30 years in the future was the last time Rome would enjoy a successful heist of an opponent's riches. Hence, most of the money in circulation was passed through the mints and new portraits were struck for each reign, also with many coins staying in circulation for extended periods.  Without new sources of income, eventually debasement was the only way to expand the money supply, resulting in inflationary pressures.

In conjunction with the OP coin, I also purchased a new modern work on the Jewish War. https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300248135/for-the-freedom-of-zion/

I think it is now considered the standard reference for the conflict and I enjoyed it immensely!

[Limes]

8 hours ago, David Atherton said:

Oddly, I haven't counted them all! My guess would be 50-60 different types and varieties or more.

I was in doubt using the 'thanks' picture, or 'mind blown' picture for your reply. But both are applicable! 

[David Atherton]

3 hours ago, Limes said:

I was in doubt using the 'thanks' picture, or 'mind blown' picture for your reply. But both are applicable! 

What exactly constitutes a 'Judaea Capta' type is somewhat disputed and kind of fuzzy around the edges, hence my not so precise count. Needless to say I don't have enough! 😉

[LONGINUS]

That’s an excellent addition to your awesome Capta collection @David Atherton !

 

Here’s what I have in order of Hendin numbers. All of my Caesarea Maritima coins fall under

David Hendin’s 'Judaea Capta' heading in “Guide to Biblical Coins, Sixth Edition”

 

Edited July 20 by LONGINUS

[David Atherton]

50 minutes ago, LONGINUS said:

That’s an excellent addition to your awesome Capta collection @David Atherton !

 

Here’s what I have in order of Hendin numbers. All of my Caesarea Maritima coins fall under

David Hendin’s 'Judaea Capta' heading in “Guide to Biblical Coins, Sixth Edition”

 

That's a great presentation. And very appropriate to list them by Hendin numbers.