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Image search results - "Judaea"
aajudaeabrit.jpg
Caesarea, Paneas. AE23.
Obv : head of Claudius
Rev : His 3 children : Antonia, Britannicus and Octavia

Ref : RPC 4842
Hen-567
This coin type seems questionable to place under the coinage of Agrippa II since the legends do not mention Agrippa and the time of minting does not conform to the other Agrippa II coins. We will notice the absence of Agrippa's name in other issues as well. At the very least, though, it was struck at Caesarea-Paneas, so it is definitely part of the city coinage. It is catalogued in The Numismatic Legacy of the Jews in the city coinage section as #208.
R. Smits
artid975_combined.jpg
Judaea, Procurators. Antonius Felix. 52-59 CE. in the name of Britannicus Caesar (BPIT).
Æ Prutah (16mm, 2.64 gm.). Jerusalem mint. Dated RY 14 of Claudius (54 CE). Two crossed shields / Palm tree.

Ref : Hendin 1348
Meshorer TJC 340
RPC I 4971
GIC 5626
R. Smits
JUDAEA,_Herodians__Agrippa_I__37-43_CE__AE_Prutah__Jerusalem_mint__20MM___3_11GM__8d.jpg
Antonivs Protti
Judaea__Roman_Procurators__Antonius_Felix_(AD_52-59)_under_Claudius__Prutah__18MM___3_06GM__23d.jpg
Antonivs Protti
Judaea__Roman_Procurators__Antonius_Felix_(AD_52-59)_under_Claudius__Prutah__16MM___2_94GM__20d.jpg
Antonivs Protti
AS_FOUND__JUDAEA__HASMONEAN_AE_PRUTAH__14MM___1_86GM__16,50d.jpg
Antonivs Protti
ANCIENT_HEBREW_INSCRIPTION,_JUDAEA__HASMONEAN_AE_PRUTAH__14mm___2_46gm__15d.jpg
Antonivs Protti
Judaea,_The_Herodians__Herod_Archelaus,_4_BC-6_AD__AE_Prutah___Prow_16MM___1_48GM__15d.jpg
Antonivs Protti
Judaea__Herodian_Dynasty__Agrippa_I_AE_prutah_19mm___2_99gm__13d_.jpg
Antonivs Protti
AS_FOUND_Judaea__Roman_Procurators__Antonius_Felix_AD_52-59_under_Claudius__Prutah_17MM___1_59GM__12d_.jpg
Antonivs Protti
AS_FOUND_JUDAEA,_Herodians__Agrippa_I__37-43_CE__AE_Prutah__Jerusalem_mint__17MM___2_62GM__12d_.jpg
Antonivs Protti
Judaea,_Alexander_Jannaeus,_103-76_BC,_AE_Prutah__WIDOW__S_MITE__AS_FOUND__15MM__3_18GM__30d.jpg
Antonivs Protti
JUDAEA,_Herodians__Agrippa_I__37-43_CE__AE_Prutah__Jerusalem_mint__18mm___2_41gm__12d_.jpg
Antonivs Protti
AS_FOUND_JUDAEA,_Herodians__Agrippa_I__37-43_CE__AE_Prutah__Jerusalem_mint__17MM___2_97GM__9d_.jpg
Antonivs Protti
ANCIENT_HEBREW_INSCRIPTION_JUDAEA__HASMONEAN_AE_PRUTAH__15mm___2_56gm__8d_.jpg
Antonivs Protti
Judaea,_Alexander_Jannaeus,_103-76_BC,_AE_Prutah_(Biblical_Widow__s_Mite)__15MM___1_13GM__15d_.jpg
Antonivs Protti
Vespasian_Denarius_Judaea_Capta_.jpg
Roman Imperial, Vespasian AD 69-79, 3.11 grams, Obverse: Bust of Vespasian; Reverse: Judaea Trophy to left 1 commentspaul1888
CA66A498-5A4C-4235-8FBD-9F1EF588FB38.jpeg
Roman Imperial, Vespasian AD 69-79, 3.11 grams, Obverse: Bust of Vespasian; Reverse: Judaea Trophy to left1 commentspaul1888
63430q00.jpg
10 Vespasian and TitusVespasian, 1 July 69 - 24 June 79 A.D., Antioch, Syria

Silver tetradrachm, Prieur 113, McAlee 336, RPC II 1947, Wruck 86, aVF, Antioch mint, weight 13.89g, maximum diameter 24.3mm, die axis 0o, 70 - 71 A.D.; obverse ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤ ΚΑΙΣΑ ΟΥΕΣΠΑΣΙΑΝΟΥ, laureate bust right; reverse ETOYC Γ IEPOY (Holy Year 3), eagle standing left on club, wings spread, palm frond left; ex CNG auction 149, lot 286; ex Garth R. Drewry Collection, ex Harmer Rooke (26-28 March 1973), lot 488 (part of).

Struck to pay Titus' legions during and after the First Jewish Revolt. RPC notes c. 320 different dies indicate 6,500,000 Syrian tetradrachms might have been minted. This was the quantity Titus would have needed to pay his four legions. Hoard evidence finds many of these types in Judaea confirming they were used to pay the legions.

Purchased from FORVM!
RI0002
Sosius
VESPSE06-2.jpg
70 AD: Vespasian - Defeat of the Jewish revolt and fall of JerusalemSestertius (28.6g, 37mm, 6h). Roman mint. Struck AD 71.
IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG PM TR P P COS III laureate head right
IVDAEA CAPTA / S C [in ex.] Judaea seated, in attidue of sorrow, at the foot of a palm tree; behind Vespasian standing in military dress holding spear and parazonium; left foot on a helmet.
RIC 427 (scarce); BMC 543; Cohen 239
1 commentsCharles S
capta doma.jpg
AS FOUND. DOMITIAN CAESAREA MARITIMA JUDAEA CAPTA TYPEJudaea Capta, Domitian, Struck at Caesarea Maritima 81-96 CE. Æ 24mm
O: Laureate bust of Domitian to right.
R: Victory to left with trophy.
Hendin-747. Æ 24mm
Extremely Fine

1 commentsMaritima
Jan.PNG
Judaea, Alexander Jannaeus (103-76 BC), Æ Half PrutahObv. anchor. Rev. star.
References: TJC group L.
13mm and 1.06 grams
This coin is typically referred to as the Biblical Widow's mite.
Canaan
00004x00~5.jpg
ROME
PB Tessera (16mm, 2.53 g, 12h)
Victory standing right, foot on helmet, inscribing shield set on palm tree
Apex; palm frond to left
M. & B. Overbeck, “Romische Bleimarken als Zeugnis des Ersten Jüdischen Krieges,” in Helas und der Grechen Osten, p. 211-216, 1; Rostovtsev 1840, pl. VII, 37; BMC 802-4

The similarities between the obverse of this piece and the Judaea Capta issues of Caesarea Maritima cannot be overstated. This type, as well as a few others that bear the portrait of Vespasian or palm trees, undoubtedly played some role in the triumph that followed the conclusion of the First Jewish War.
2 commentsArdatirion
trajan_askalon.jpg
(0098)TRAJAN98 - 117 AD
(111/12 AD)
AE 24 mm, 11.99 g
O: ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ laureate head of Trajan, r.
R: ΑΣΚΑΛΩ Tyche-Astarte standing, l., on prow with standard and aphlaston; in l. field, incense altar; in r. field, dove standing l.; to r., date ƐIC
Judaea, Ascalon
Ref. RPC 3 No. 3987; De Saulcy 9; BMC 145; rare
laney
egal_antipatris_temple_res.jpg
(0218) ELAGABALUS (ANTIPATRIS MINT)218 -222 AD
AE 17.5 mm; 6 5 g
O ...NOC C... Laureate draped bust of Elagabalus right
R: Tetrastyle temple, central arch; within, Tyche in short chiton kneeling left holding small bust and spear, resting her foot on river god (Yarkon); ΑΝ(ΤΙΠ) (Antipatris) in exe.
Antipatris (very rare city), Judaea
cf. Sofaer Pl. 21 4, 5.; cf. BM-1, pl. II.7, cf. SNG ANS-635, cf. Rosenberger 1. Very rare.
(Antipatris struck coins only during the reign of Elagabalus)
laney
vespas_judaea_cap_res.jpg
(10) VESPASIANJudaea Capta Issue
69 - 79 AD
Struck 71 AD
AE Sestertius 32.5 mm 21.75 g
O: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III, laureate head right
R: IVDAEA CAPTA, Emperor with spear standing left of palm tree; Judaea mourning to right; SC in exe
Rome RIC II 427
laney
TITUS_JUDAEA_RESB.jpg
(11) TITUS79 - 81 AD
AE 23 mm 10.27 g
O: Laureate head right
R: Trophy flanked by Judaea seated left, mourning and shield to right
"Judea Capta"
JUDAEA, CAESAREA MINT

laney
titus_juidaea_cap_c.jpg
(11) TITUS79 - 81 AD
AE 23 mm 10.27 g
O: Laureate head right
R: Trophy flanked by Judaea seated left, mourning and shield to right
"Judea Capta"
JUDAEA, CAESAREA MINT
79 - 81 AD
AE 23 mm 10.27 g
O: Laureate head right
R: Trophy flanked by Judaea seated left, mourning and shield to right
"Judea Capta"
JUDAEA, CAESAREA MINT
laney
domitian_phanebal_res.jpg
(12) DOMITIAN81 - 96 AD
Struck year 198 = 94/5 AD
AE 19 mm; 5.47 g
O: Laureate head, r.
R: War god Phanebal standing l., holding harpa in right hand, round shield in left hand, palm branch behind at right.
Judaea, Ascalon; cf RPC II 2215 ff

laney
domitian_nike_bow_res.jpg
(12) DOMITIAN (AGRIPPA II)Herodian Dynasty--Agrippa II
55 - 95 AD
Struck under Domitian
AE 19.5 mm 4.77 g
O: Laureate bust of Domitian right
R: Nike standing right, holding shield on knee
"Judaea Capta" issue
Judaea, Caesarea mint
laney
prutahjanfull1.jpg
0 - Alexander Jannaeus Prutah - H. 469This coin, minted under the reign of Alexander Jannaeus (103 BCE - 76 BCE), is a bronze prutah.
OBV. Upside-down achor reading BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΛEΞANΔΡOY.
REV. Eight ponted star, letters in the spokes, reading 'Yehonatan the King'.
Aarmale
4020447.jpg
005bb. Antonia, daughter of Claudius JUDAEA, Roman Administration. Claudius, with Britannicus, Antonia, and Octavia. AD 41-54. Æ (23mm, 12.02 g, 12h). Caesarea Panias mint. Struck before 49 CE. Laureate head of Claudius left / The children of Claudius: from left to right, Antonia, Britannicus, and Octavia, the two daughters each holding a cornucopia. Meshorer 350; Hendin 1259; Sofaer 83; RPC I 4842. Fair, green and brown patina with touches of red. Rare.ecoli
2100188.jpg
006b. Claudia Aug.JUDAEA, Caesaraea Panias. Diva Poppaea and Diva Claudia. Died AD 65 and AD 63, respectively. Æ 20mm (6.00 g, 12h). Struck AD 65-68. Statue of Diva Poppaea seated left within distyle temple / Statue of Diva Claudia standing left within hexastyle temple. RPC I 4846; Meshorer, Caesarea, Pl. 7, H; SNG ANS 858; Hendin 578. Fine, dark green patina under light earthen deposits.

Ex-CNG
ecoli
352_1.jpg
009. Vespasian 69-79. AR Denarius. Victory - Judaea CaptaVespasian. AD 69-79. AR Denarius (18.5mm, 3.48 g, 6h). “Judaea Capta” commemorative. Rome mint. Struck AD 75. Laureate head right / Victory standing left on prow, holding wreath and palm frond. RIC II.1 777; cf. Hendin 1484; RSC 368. Toned, delamination on obverse, area of slight flatness of strike on reverse.5 commentsLordBest
domitian~2.jpg
011a1a. VespasianDenarius. Rome. "Judaea Capta" issue. Obv: IMP CAES VESP AVG P M COS IIII. Laureate head right. Rev: VICTORIA AVGVSTI. Victory advancing right, holding palm branch and crowning standard with wreath. RIC² 1557; RPC II 1929. 3.16 g, 18mm. Naumann Auction 122, lot 660.
lawrence c
tita.jpg
012a2. TitusAE24. Caesarea Maritima, Samaria-Palestine. AD 79–81. 24mm, 11.24 g.
Obv: AYTOK TITOΣ KAIΣAΡ, Laureate head right. Rev: IOYΔAIAC ΛΩKωKYIAC, Trophy, with a Judaean captive kneeling left to left of its base and a shield to the right of its base.
RPC II 2313; Meshorer 383; Hendin 1449; Sear GIC 784; BMC 2.
lawrence c
titc.jpg
012a3. TitusJudaea, Capta. Minted at Caesarea Maritima. 19mm. Obv: AYTOKΡ TITOΣ KAIΣAΡ, laureate head right. Rev: IOYΔIAΣ EAΛΩKVIAΣ, Nike standing right, inscribing shield attached to palm tree. RPC 2311.lawrence c
Antonius_Felix_procurator,_AE-16,_Prutah__Jerusalems_Israel_Palm_Hedin-652,_54_AD_Q-001_0h,_2,28_g_,_16_mm-s~0.jpg
012p Claudius I. (41-54 A.D.), Judaea, Jerusalem, RPC I 4971, Antonius Felix Procurator, under Claudius, (52-60 A.D.), AE-16(Prutah), BRIT/K-AI, Six branched palm tree, #1012p Claudius I. (41-54 A.D.), Judaea, Jerusalem, RPC I 4971, Antonius Felix Procurator, under Claudius, (52-60 A.D.), AE-16(Prutah), BRIT/K-AI, Six branched palm tree, #1
avers: NEPΩ KΛAY KAICAP, Two crossed shields and spears. (Nero (Caesar)).
reverse: BRIT/K-AI, Six branched palm tree bearing two bunches of dates, L-IΔ, K-AI across the field. (Britannicus (Caesar)).
exergue: L/IΔ//K/AI, diameter: 16,0mm, weight: 2,28g, axes: 0h,
mint: City: Jerusalem, Region: Judaea, Province: Judaea,
date: Dated Year of Claudius (Year 14 = 54 A.D.)
ref: RPC I 4971, Hedin 652,
Q-001
quadrans
0167.jpg
0167 - Denarius Vespasianus 69-70 ACObv/IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG, laureate head of Vespasian r.
Rev/Mourning Judaea, veiled and supporting head with l.h., seated r. on ground beside trophy; IVDAEA in ex.

Ag, 18.9mm, 3.28g
Mint: Rome.
RIC II.1/2 [C2] - BMCRE 35
ex-Morton & Eden, auction 59, lot #876 (ex-Jim E. Seaver colln.)
1 commentsdafnis
1013517_1580727355_l.jpg
027a06. CaracallaBI Tetradrachm. 26mm, 13.70 g. JUDAEA. Aelia Capitolina (Jerusalem).
Obv: AVT KAI ANTWNINOC CE, Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Rev: ΔHMAPX ЄΞ OYCIAC YΠA TO Δ. Eagle standing facing on thyrsos, wings open, head left; bunch of grapes between legs, vine below. Prieur 1623.
lawrence c
Vespasian-RIC-15.jpg
035. Vespasian.Denarius, 69-71 AD, Rome mint.
Obverse: IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG / Laureate bust of Vespasian.
Reverse: IVDAEA / Jewish woman captive seated on ground, mourning; trophy behind her.
3.44 gm., 18 mm.
RIC #15; Sear #2296.

When the Jewish Revolt began in 66 AD, Nero appointed Vespasian supreme commander in the East to put down the uprising. In 69 AD Vespasian made his own bid for the throne and left his son Titus to finish up the Jewish War -- which he did in 70 AD by capturing Jerusalem and destroying the Temple. This victory of Vespasian and Titus was the major military event of the reign, and numerous coins were issued to commemorate it.
2 commentsCallimachus
049_BC-_Q__SICINIVS_III__VIR__C__COPONIVS__PR__S__C__Crawford_444-1a__Sydenham_939__RSC_Sicinia_1_Q-001_5h_16,5mm_3,31g-s.jpg
049 B.C., Q. Sicinius and C. Coponius., Republic AR-Denarius, Crawford 444/1a, C•COPONIVS• PR•S•C•, Club of Hercules, arrow, and bow, #1049 B.C., Q. Sicinius and C. Coponius., Republic AR-Denarius, Crawford 444/1a, C•COPONIVS• PR•S•C•, Club of Hercules, arrow, and bow, #1
avers: Q•SICINIVS III•VIR, diademed head of Apollo right, star below.
reverse: C•COPONIVS• PR•S•C•, Hercules' club surmounted by lion skin, scalp right, bow on right, the arrow on left.
exergue: -/-//--, diameter: 16,5mm, weight: 3,31g, axis: 5h,
mint: Rome, date: 49 B.C., ref: Crawford 444/1a, Sydenham 939, Sicinia 1,
Q-001
"An important type, one of the first of the "Imperatorial" series. Struck at a military mint in the East, 49 B.C., after the moneyer, owing to his appointment to Pompey the Great, fled Caesar's advance upon Rome with the Praetor Coponius (commander of the fleet), and part of the Senate (thus the S C on the reverse, to lend legitimacy to the coinage). Coponius is likely the father or grandfather of the man by the same name who served as procurator in Judaea under Augustus, from A.D. 6 to A.D. 9."
quadrans
111_036.JPG
090 VespasianVespasian, 1 July 69 - 24 June 79 A.D.
Silver denarius, RIC II part 1, 362; SRCV I 2317, BMCRE II 74, F, 2.879g, 17.2mm, 195o, Rome mint, 72 - 73 A.D.; obverse IMP CAES VESP AVG P M COS IIII, laureate head right; reverse VICTORIA AVGVSTI, Victory advancing right, crowning legionary standard with wreath with right, palm across shoulder in left.

"This type likely refers to the victory in Judaea but does not specifically identify that victory."
5 commentsRandygeki(h2)
hadrian_RIC42.jpg
117-138 AD - HADRIAN AR denarius - struck 118 ADobv: IMP CAESAR TRAIAN HADRIANVS AVG (laureate bust right, cuirassed, draped far shoulder)
rev: P M TR P COS II (Justice is seated on the curule chair, as on a tribunal: with the insignia of the hasta pura and the extended patera she displays her care for religion), IVSTITIA in ex.
ref: RIC II 42, RSC 877
mint: Rome
3.25gms, 19mm

Rare cuirassed bust, RIC not describes (c - not in RIC). Unfortunately the reverse is burned, but still valuable.
The reverse perhaps refer to the edictum perpetuum or Pretorian edict, what was an annual declaration made by the praetor urbanus in which he laid out the principles by which he would exercise his jurisdiction for his year in office. Under Hadrian, the edict became fixed and unchangeable.
And there's an other fact that can refer this reverse. When Hadrian arrived in Rome in July 118 to a hostile reception on the part of the senate, because of the death of the four consulars. The four men were Cornelius Palma, governor of Syria, Avidius Nigrinus, governor of Dacia, Publilius Celsus and Lusius Quietus, governor of Judaea, they were all Trajan's men, and their elimination certainly made Hadrian's course easier. But an Emperor had right everytime, and he was the justice.
berserker
1619Hadrian_RIC_1769.jpg
1769 Hadrian Sestertius Roma 130-38 AD Hadrian standing vis-à-vis JudaeaReference.
RIC 1769; Strack 755; Banti 37

Bust C2+

Obv. HADRIANVS COS III P P
Bare head draped bust, viewed from side

Rev. ADVENTUI AVG IVDAEAE; S C in ex.
Hadrian standing right, one hand raised in gesture of address and the other holding scroll: facing him is Italia standing left holding patera over altar placed in the centre, and also holding incense box. Two children stand by her feet. Victim bull at foot of altar

26.16 gr
31 mm
12h

Note.

Hadrian’s arrival in Judaea is commemorated on a very rare ADVENTUS sestertius. On the reverse, the emperor greets the figure of Judaea sacrificing over a pagan altar, accompanied by two children. It would be hard to imagine an image more offensive to Jewish sensibilities.


Hadrian made a brief visit to Judaea circa AD 130, during his second great provincial tour of AD 129-132. Prior to his arrival, rumors spread among the Jews that he intended to rebuild Jerusalem and the great Temple, destroyed during the Jewish War of AD 66-73, so he was at first warmly welcomed. However, Hadrian decided to rebuild the city as the Roman veteran colony of Aelia Capitolina, with a temple to Jupiter replacing the one once dedicated to Jehovah. This ultimately sparked the bloody Bar Kokhba Revolt of AD 132-135, which devastated the province and darkened Hadrian's final years. The rare coinage issued to mark his visit, with the legend ADVENTVS AVG IVDAEA ("the Emperor Enters Judaea") depicts Hadrian being greeted by a female personification of the province and two children. Judaea was renamed Syria Palaestina in response to the Bar Kochba conflict, though precisely when this occurred is not known.

Judaea was the empire’s most troubled province during Hadrian’s reign. For Romans, offering ritual sacrifice to the imperial state cult was a normal civic obligation. Most ancient religions were broadly tolerant of each other’s deities, but the Jews’ fierce insistence that their one, invisible God forbade any form of idolatry in their land was a constant source of tension.
2 commentsokidoki
Denario_Vespasiano_RIC_15_Judea_Capta.jpg
18-07 - VESPASIANO (69 - 79 D.C.)AR Denario 19 x 17 mm 2.6 gr.

Anv: " IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG" - Cabeza laureada viendo a derecha.
Rev: Judea en actitud de duelo y congoja, sentada en el suelo hacia la derecha, detrás suyo un trofeo de armas. "JVDAEA" en el exergo.

Este tipo de reverso celebra el éxito de Vespasian y Titus sofocando la primera Revuelta Judía.

Acuñada: 69 - 70 D.C.
Ceca: Roma Italia ó Tarraco España
Rareza: Común ó Rara (Según la ubicación de la ceca)

Referencias: RIC Vol.II #15D Pag.16 (Roma) ó #266 Pag.46 (Tarraco) - RIC2 #4 (Roma) ó #1316 (Tarraco) - Sear RCTV Vol.1 #2296 Pag.436 - BMCRE Vol.2 #35, 359 y 370 - Cohen Vol.1 #226 Pag.384 - DVM #32 Pag.101 - CBN #23 - RSC Vol. II #226 Pag.43 – Hendin #759 Pag.319
mdelvalle
RIC_15_Denario_Vespasiano.jpg
18-07 - VESPASIANO (69 - 79 D.C.)AR Denario 19 x 17 mm 2.6 gr.

Anv: " IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG" - Cabeza laureada viendo a derecha.
Rev: Judea en actitud de duelo y congoja, sentada en el suelo hacia la derecha, detrás suyo un trofeo de armas. "JVDAEA" en el exergo.

Este tipo de reverso celebra el éxito de Vespasian y Titus sofocando la primera Revuelta Judía.

Acuñada: 69 - 70 D.C.
Ceca: Roma Italia ó Tarraco España
Rareza: Común ó Rara (Según la ubicación de la ceca)

Referencias: RIC Vol.II #15D Pag.16 (Roma) ó #266 Pag.46 (Tarraco) - RIC2 #4 (Roma) ó #1316 (Tarraco) - Sear RCTV Vol.1 #2296 Pag.436 - BMCRE Vol.2 #35, 359 y 370 - Cohen Vol.1 #226 Pag.384 - DVM #32 Pag.101 - CBN #23 - RSC Vol. II #226 Pag.43 – Hendin #759 Pag.319
mdelvalle
Denario_Vespasiano_RIC_114_2_Judaea_Capta.jpg
18-14 - VESPASIANO (69 - 79 D.C.)AR Denario 18 mm 2.8 gr.

Anv: " IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG" Leyenda en sentido anti-horario - Cabeza laureada viendo a derecha.
Rev: "[T]R POT X – COS VIIII" – Victoria avanzando a izquierda y atando un escudo sobre un trofeo de armas, en cuya base se encuentra un acongojado prisionero Judío sentado a izquierda.

Este reverso puede referirse a la victoria en Judea o, alternativamente, puede asociarse con las actividades en el norte de Bretaña del famoso Gobernador Gnaus Julius Agricola, suegro del historiador Tácitus.

Acuñada 79 D.C.
Ceca: Roma
Rareza: Comun

Referencias: RIC Vol.II #114D Pag.27 - RIC2 #1068 - Sear RCTV Vol.1 #2309 Pag.437 - BMCRE Vol.2 #246 - Cohen Vol.1 #552 Pag.411 - DVM #53/4 Pag.102 - CBN #216 - RSC Vol. II #552 Pag.48 - Hendin #767 Pag.321
mdelvalle
RIC_114_Denario_Vespasiano.jpg
18-15 - VESPASIANO (69 - 79 D.C.)AR Denario 18 mm 2.8 gr.

Anv: " IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG" Leyenda en sentido anti-horario - Cabeza laureada viendo a derecha.
Rev: "[T]R POT X – COS VIIII" – Victoria avanzando a izquierda y atando un escudo sobre un trofeo de armas, en cuya base se encuentra un acongojado prisionero Judío sentado a izquierda.

Este reverso puede referirse a la victoria en Judea o, alternativamente, puede asociarse con las actividades en el norte de Bretaña del famoso Gobernador Gnaus Julius Agricola, suegro del historiador Tácitus.

Acuñada 79 D.C.
Ceca: Roma
Rareza: Comun

Referencias: RIC Vol.II #114D Pag.27 - RIC2 #1068 - Sear RCTV Vol.1 #2309 Pag.437 - BMCRE Vol.2 #246 - Cohen Vol.1 #552 Pag.411 - DVM #53/4 Pag.102 - CBN #216 - RSC Vol. II #552 Pag.48 - Hendin #767 Pag.321
mdelvalle
761Hadrian_RIC225var_.jpg
1981 Hadrian Denarius Roma 134-38 AD Hadrian & Roma Reference.
RIC 1981; Strack 218; RIC 227; C.cf 94; BMCR cf 584

Bust A1+

Obv. HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P
Bare head

Rev. ADVENTVS AVGVSTI
Roma standing left, holding spear, and parazonium on hip?? and clasping hands with Hadrian standing right, holding a roll.

3.35 gr
18 mm
6h

Note.
Strack saw two similar coins in Vienna and Sofia with same die pair.

This denarius was Rome struck during the latter part of Hadrian’s reign, and which fall into three classes or categories: 1) a series of coins commemorating the visit or arrival (adventus) of the emperor to each province; 2) another series which commemorates the restoration (restitutor) of the province by the emperor; and 3) an additional series which commemorates the military strength (exercitus) of province, for those provinces which had legions stationed within them. In addition to these three categories of commemorative issues that are collectively known as Hadrian’s ‘travel’ series, there are a further two related groups of coins. The first is quite extensive and simply commemorates the various provinces, with the provinces of Egypt, Africa, Hispania and Gallia being the most common. Then there is a much smaller issue which commemorates the emperor’s final return (adventus) to Rome, after his subjugation of the Jewish zealots under Simon Bar Kochba led to the pacification of the province of Judaea, of which this coin is a particularly handsome specimen. After spending more than half his reign on the road, and especially after having just inflicted such a crushing defeat on the recalcitrant Jews, Hadrian’s homecoming was a momentous occasion in the capital which was warmly welcomed by the citizens. The reverse shows the city of Rome personified as the goddess Roma, helmeted and draped in military attire, holding a spear and clasping the hand of the now elderly emperor who is depicted togate and holding a roll in the guise of a citizen, standing before her. The legend which appears on the obverse of this coin was only employed ca. A.D. 134-138. As Hadrian returned to Italy during A.D. 136 and died not two years later, this coin belongs to the very last issue of coinage struck at Rome during his principate.
1 commentsokidoki
APlautiusDenJudea.jpg
1ab Conquest of JudeaA. Plautius, moneyer
c. 54 BC

Denarius

Turreted head of Cybele, A PLAVTIVS before, AED CVR SC behind
Bacchius kneels right with camel at his side, extending olive branch, BACCHIVS in ex., IVDAEVS in right

Seaby, Plautia 13

The reverse appears to Pompey's conquest of Judaea in 63 BC.

Josephus recorded of Pompey's conquest of Jerusalem: And when he was come to the city, he looked about where he might make his attack; for he saw the walls were so firm, that it would be hard to overcome them; and that the valley before the walls was terrible; and that the temple, which was within that valley, was itself encompassed with a very strong wall, insomuch that if the city were taken, that temple would be a second place of refuge for the enemy to retire to. . . . Aristobulus's party was worsted, and retired into the temple, and cut off the communication between the temple and the city, by breaking down the bridge that joined them together, and prepared to make an opposition to the utmost; but as the others had received the Romans into the city, and had delivered up the palace to him, Pompey sent Piso, one of his great officers, into that palace with an army, who distributed a garrison about the city, because he could not persuade any one of those that had fled to the temple to come to terms of accommodation; he then disposed all things that were round about them so as might favor their attacks, as having Hyrcanus's party very ready to afford them both counsel and assistance. . . . But Pompey himself filled up the ditch that was oil the north side of the temple, and the entire valley also, the army itself being obliged to carry the materials for that purpose. And indeed it was a hard thing to fill up that valley, by reason of its immense depth, especially as the Jews used all the means possible to repel them from their superior situation; nor had the Romans succeeded in their endeavors, had not Pompey taken notice of the seventh days, on which the Jews abstain from all sorts of work on a religious account, and raised his bank, but restrained his soldiers from fighting on those days; for the Jews only acted defensively on sabbath days.
Blindado
VitelliusDenVesta.jpg
1av Vitellius69

Denarius
Portrait, right, A VITELLIVS GERMAN IMP TR P
Vesta std., PONT MAX

RIC 107

According to Suetonius: Lucius’s son Aulus, the future emperor, was born on the 24th of September 15AD, or according to some authorities on the 7th, during the consulship of Drusus Caesar and Norbanus Flaccus. . . . His boyhood and early youth were spent on Capreae (Capri) among Tiberius’s creatures, he himself being marked by the nickname of ‘Spintria’ (sex-token) throughout his life, and suspected of having secured his father’s first promotion to office by surrendering his own chastity. As he grew older, though contaminated by every kind of vice, Vitellius gained and kept a prominent place at court, winning Caligula’s friendship by his devotion to chariot-racing and Claudius’s by his love of dice. With Nero he was even closer. . . .

Honoured, as these emperors’ favourite, with high office in the priesthood, as well as political power, he governed Africa (under Nero, in 60/61AD) as proconsul, and was then Curator of Public Works (in 63AD), employing a contrasting approach, and with a contrasting effect on his reputation. In his province he acted with outstanding integrity over two successive years, since he served as deputy also to his brother who succeeded him (61/62AD) yet during his administration of the City he was said to have stolen various temple offerings and ornaments, and substituted brass and tin for the gold and silver in others. . . .

Contrary to all expectations, Galba appointed Vitellius to Lower Germany (in 68AD). Some think it was brought about by Titus Vinius, whose influence was powerful at that time, and whose friendship Vitellius had previously won through their mutual support for the ‘Blues’ in the Circus. But it is clear to everyone that Galba chose him as an act of contempt rather than favour, commenting that gluttons were among those least to be feared, and Vitellius’s endless appetite would now be able to sate itself on a province. . . .

He entered Rome to the sound of trumpets, surrounded by standards and banners, wearing a general’s cape, sword at his side, his officers in their military cloaks also, and the men with naked blades. With increasing disregard for the law, human or divine, he then assumed the office of High Priest on the anniversary of the Allia (18th July), arranged the elections for the next ten years, and made himself consul for life. . . .

Vitellius’s worst vices were cruelty and gluttony. . . . By the eighth month of his reign (November 69AD) the legions in Moesia and Pannonia had repudiated Vitellius, and sworn allegiance to Vespasian despite his absence, following those of Syria and Judaea who had done so in Vespasian’s presence. . . .

The vanguard of Vespasian’s army had now forced its way into the Palace, unopposed, and the soldiers were ransacking the rooms, in their usual manner. They hauled Vitellius, unrecognised, from his hiding place, asked his name and where the Emperor might be. He gave some lying answer, but was soon identified, so he begged for safe custody, even if that meant imprisonment, claiming he had important information for Vespasian regarding his security. However his arms were bound behind him and a noose flung over his head, and he was dragged along the Sacred Way to the Forum, amid a hail of mockery and abuse, half-naked, with his clothes in tatters. His head was held back by the hair, like a common criminal and, with a sword-point under his chin so that he was forced to look up and reveal his face, he was pelted with filth and dung, denounced as arsonist and glutton, and taunted with his bodily defects by the crowd. For, Vitellius was exceptionally tall, and his face was usually flushed from some drinking bout. He had a huge belly, too, and one thigh crippled by a blow from a four-horse chariot which struck him when he was in attendance on Caligula who was driving. At last, after being tormented by a host of cuts from the soldiers’ swords, he was killed on the Gemonian Stairs, and his body dragged with a hook to the Tiber.
1 commentsBlindado
VespDenSalus.jpg
1aw Vespasian69-79

Denarius
Laureate head, right, IMP CAES VESP AVG CEN
Salus seated left with patera, SALVS AVG

RIC 513 (C2)

Suetonius wrote: The Flavians seized power, and the Empire, long troubled and adrift, afflicted by the usurpations and deaths of three emperors, at last achieved stability. True they were an obscure family, with no great names to boast of, yet one our country has no need to be ashamed of. . . . Vespasian was born in the Sabine country, in the little village of Falacrinae just beyond Reate (Rieti), on the 17th of November 9 AD in the consulship of Quintus Sulpicius Camerinus and Gaius Poppaeus Sabinus, five years before the death of Augustus. He was raised by his paternal grandmother Tertulla on her estate at Cosa. . . .

Under Claudius, he was sent to Germany (in 41 AD) to command a legion, thanks to the influence of Narcissus. From there he was posted to Britain (in 43 AD), where partly under the leadership of Aulus Plautius and partly that of Claudius himself, he fought thirty times, subjugating two powerful tribes, more than twenty strongholds, and the offshore island of Vectis (the Isle of Wight). This earned him triumphal regalia, and a little later two priesthoods and the consulship (in 51 AD) which he held for the last two months of the year. . . . He won, by lot, the governorship of Africa (in 63 AD), ruling it soundly and with considerable dignity. . . .

An ancient and well-established belief became widespread in the East that the ruler of the world at this time would arise from Judaea. This prophecy as events proved referred to the future Emperor of Rome, but was taken by the Jews to apply to them. They rebelled, killed their governor, and routed the consular ruler of Syria also, when he arrived to restore order, capturing an Eagle. To crush the rebels needed a considerable force under an enterprising leader, who would nevertheless not abuse power. Vespasian was chosen, as a man of proven vigour, from whom little need be feared, since his name and origins were quite obscure. Two legions with eight divisions of cavalry and ten cohorts of auxiliaries were added to the army in Judaea, and Vespasian took his elder son, Titus, along as one of his lieutenants. . . .

Yet Vespasian made no move, though his follower were ready and eager, until he was roused to action by the fortuitous support of a group of soldiers unknown to him, and based elsewhere. Two thousand men, of the three legions in Moesia reinforcing Otho’s forces, despite hearing on the march that he had been defeated and had committed suicide, had continued on to Aquileia, and there taken advantage of the temporary chaos to plunder at will. Fearing that if they returned they would be held to account and punished, they decided to choose and appoint an emperor of their own, on the basis that they were every bit as worthy of doing so as the Spanish legions who had appointed Galba, or the Praetorian Guard which had elected Otho, or the German army which had chosen Vitellius. They went through the list of serving consular governors, rejecting them for one reason or another, until in the end they unanimously adopted Vespasian, who was recommended strongly by some members of the Third Legion, which had been transferred to Moesia from Syria immediately prior to Nero’s death. . . .

Vespasian, an unheralded and newly-forged emperor, as yet lacked even a modicum of prestige and divine majesty, but this too he acquired. . . . Returning to Rome (in 70 AD) attended by such auspices, having won great renown, and after a triumph awarded for the Jewish War, he added eight consulships (AD 70-72, 74-77, 79) to his former one, and assumed the censorship. He first considered it essential to strengthen the State, which was unstable and well nigh fatally weakened, and then to enhance its role further during his reign. . . .
2 commentsBlindado
TitusProv.jpg
1ax Titus79-81

AE, Ankyra, Galatia
Laureate head, right AY KAICAP TITOC CEBASTO. . .
Man standing, left, SEBASTHNWN TEKTOSAGWN

RPC 1620

By Suetonius' account: Titus, surnamed Vespasianus like his father, possessed such an aptitude, by nature, nurture, or good fortune, for winning affection that he was loved and adored by all the world as Emperor. . . . He was born on the 30th of December AD41, the very year of Caligula’s assassination, in a little dingy room of a humble dwelling, near the Septizonium. . . .

He was handsome, graceful, and dignified, and of exceptional strength, though of no great height and rather full-bellied. He had an extraordinary memory, and an aptitude for virtually all the arts of war and peace, being a fine horseman, skilled in the use of weapons, yet penning impromptu verses in Greek and Latin with equal readiness and facility. He had a grasp of music too, singing well and playing the harp pleasantly and with ability. . . .

As military tribune in Germany (c57-59AD) and Britain (c60-62), he won an excellent reputation for energy and integrity, as is shown by the large number of inscribed statues and busts of him found in both countries. . . . When his quaestorship ended, he commanded one of his father’s legions in Judaea, capturing the strongholds of Tarichaeae and Gamala (67AD). His horse was killed under him in battle, but he mounted that of a comrade who fell fighting at his side. . . . [Upon] Vespasian’s accession, his father left him to complete the conquest of Judaea, and in the final assault on Jerusalem (70AD) Titus killed twelve of the defenders with as many arrows. . . .

From then on, he acted as his father’s colleague and even protector. He shared in his Judaean triumph (of AD 71), the censorship (AD 73), the exercise of tribunicial power, and in seven of his consulships (AD 70, 72, 74-77, 79). . . .

He died at the same villa as his father, Vespasian, on the 13th of September AD81, at the age of forty-one, after a reign of two years, two months, and twenty days. The people mourned his loss as if he were a member of their own family.
2 commentsBlindado
Jewish War, year II.jpg
2. Jewish War, year II67 CE, Hendin 661a, irregular issue
"Shnat Shtayim" – year two
"harot tsion" – the freedom of Zion

Even though it is engraved with "Year Two" on the obverse, this coin may have been minted in Year Three under rebel detatchments outside of Jerusalem. The poor quality of the coin shows that it was probably not minted in the Jerusalem mint. One hypothesis is that it was minted by Simon Bar Giora in year three, while he reconquered Southern Judaea.
1 commentsEcgþeow
jbk107.jpg
3.0 Bar Kokhba small bronze, year 3 (134-135 CE)Bar Kokhba rebellion (second Jewish Revolt against Rome)
Year 3 (134-135 CE)
small bronze (19.5 mm)
VF+/VF
Hendin 739

obv. seven branched palm tree, symbolizing Judaea (like Menorah?)
SHIMON (Simon [Bar Kokhba]) in field below tree
rev. Bunch of grapes L'CHAROT YERUSHALAYIM (For the Freedom of Jerusalem) around
5 commentsEcgþeow
IMG_0909.JPG
3.022 Vespasian - VictoryVICTORIA AVGVSTI S - C
Victory advancing left, holding wreath

commemorates Vespasian's great victory over Judaea, a motif of Flavian coins
Ecgþeow
aa_1_b~0.JPG
3.3 Vespasian IUDAEA denarius69 - 70 AD
Rome Mint
rev. IVDAEA, captive Jew seated below a trophy
commemorates the reconquest of Judaea by Vespasian and Titus, after the four year revolt against Rome.
3 commentsEcgþeow
3d_1_b.JPG
3.4 Vespasian IVDAEA denarius69 - 70 AD
Rome Mint
rev. IVDAEA captive Jew seated at the base of a Roman trophy
commemorates Vespasian and Titus' conquest of the rebellious Jewish state following an four year uprising.
This was the springboard for Vespasian in his ambition for the throne. It made him very popular, and this Judaea Capta series was meant to cement that popularity.

i had been looking for one for quite a while!
Ecgþeow
192_P_Hadrian__BMC_palestina_23_Zeus.jpg
3932 JUDAEA, Tiberias Claudiopolis Hadrian 118-19 AD, ZeusReference.
RPC III, 3932; BMC Palestine 23 (pg.8) ;Rosenberger 12; SNG ANS 1109

Issue Year 101

Obv. ΑΥΤ ΤΡΑ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΩ ΚΑΙС СƐΒ
Laureate and cuirassed head of Hadrian, r.; aegis on shoulder

Rev.ΤΙΒΣΡ ΚΛΑVΔ / ΣΤΑ in exergue. ЄT AP
Temple with four columns enclosing Zeus seated l., with patera and sceptre

10.46 gr
24 mm
12h
okidoki
271_P_Hadrian_BMC.jpg
3933 JUDAEA, Tiberias Claudiopolis Hadrian 118-19 AD TycheReference.
RPC III, 3933; Kindler 11; Rosenberger 13; SNG ANS 1114; BMc 31

Issue Year 101

Obv: AVT TPA ADRIANΩ KAIC CEB.
Laureate head right, slight drapery.

Rev: TIBEP KLAVΔ; / L - AP.
Tyche-Astarte standing l. with bust and spear; foot on prow; in field, L AP

10.00 gr
22 mm
okidoki
224_P_Hadrian__BMC_32-33.jpg
3934 JUDAEA, Tiberias Claudiopolis. Hadrian, 119-20 AD Nike standing.Reference.
RPC III, 3934; HENDIN 915; BMC 32-33

Issue Year 101

Obv. ΑΥΤ ΤΡ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΩ ΚΑΙС СƐΒ
Laureate and cuirassed bust right

Rev. ΤΙΒƐΡ ΚΛΑΥΔ/ L AP in exergue
Nike standing facing with wreath and palm; in field, L ΑΡ

6.12 gr
19 mm
12 h
okidoki
136_P_Hadrian_BMC.JPG
3935 JUDAEA, Tiberias Hadrian 118-19 AD GalleyReference.
RPC III, 3935; Sofaer 13.(p. 66) BMC Palestine (Tiberias) 34; Kindler Tiberias 10. Rosenberger 15.

Issue Year 101

Obv. AY TP Α∆ΡIANW KAIC CEB
Laureate head right.

Rev. above, TIBE / ΚΛΑΥ (Tiberias Claudia); below, date: L ΑΡ (year 101 = 119/20 AD)
Galley with oars, left .

3.32gr
18 mm
12h
okidoki
235_P_Hadrian.jpg
3999 JUDAEA, Ascalon. Hadrian 117-18 AD Tyche-AstarteReference.
RPC III, 3999; Rosenberger 162-165; SNG ANS 713-716

Issue Year 221

Obv. ΑСΚΑΛΩ=CEBACTOC
Laureate head right.

Rev. ΑСΚΑΛΩ
Tyche-Astarte standing left on galley, holding scepter and aphlaston; altar to left; to right, dove left above A[KC] (date)
Uncertain date.

11.1 gr
22 mm
6h
okidoki
1684P_Hadrian_RPC_4008.jpg
4008 JUDAEA, Ascalon. Hadrian 131-32 AD Tyche-AstarteReference.
RPC III 4008; Sofaer 129; Yashin 183

Issue Year 224

Obv. ϹƐΒΑϹΤΟϹ
Laureate head of Hadrian, left

Rev. ΑϹΚΑΛΩ
Tyche-Astarte standing, l., on prow with standard and aphlaston; in l. field, incense altar; in r. field, dove standing l.; to r., ΔKC

9.28 gr
24 mm
12h
okidoki
879_P_Hadrian_RPC4014A~0.jpg
4014A JUDAEA, Ascalon. Hadrian 131-32 ad Tyche-AstarteReference.
RPC III, 4014A; De Saulcy 10; Yashin, Ascalon to Raphia, 191var

Issue Year 235

Obv. СƐΒΑСΤΟС
Laureate, draped, cuirassed bust right, seen from rear

Rev. ACKAΛω/ LΔ / ЄΛC
Tyche-Astarte standing right on galley, holding scepter and aphlaston; to left, incense altar; to right, dove in r. field.

12.54 gr
23 mm
12h

Note.
From the Collection of Steve Cooper
okidoki
1507_P_Hadrian_RPC4015.jpg
4015 JUDAEA, Ascalon. Hadrian 132-33 AD Tyche-AstarteReference.
RPC III, 4015/10 ; BMC 179; Rosenberger 166; Sofaer 133

Issue Year 236

Obv. ϹƐΒΑϹΤΟϹ
Laureate and draped head of Hadrian (seen from rear), right

Rev. ΑϹΚΑΛΩ
Tyche-Astarte standing, l., on prow with standard and aphlaston; in l. field, incense altar; in r. field, dove standing l.; to r., ϚΛC

11.40 gr
22.50 mm
6h
okidoki
1139_P_Hadrian_RPC4017.jpg
4017 JUDAEA, Ascalon. Hadrian 132-33 AD war-god PhanebalReference.
RPC III, 4017/12; BMC 187

Issue Year 236

Obverse inscription СΕΒΑСΤΟС
Laureate and draped head of Hadrian seen from rear, right

Rev. ΑС ΦΑΝΗΒΑΛ
(to l., Δ); to r., ϚΛC; war-god Phanebal, standing l., holding harpa (?) in r. hand and small round shield and long palm branch in l. hand

5.70 gr
19 mm
12h
1 commentsokidoki
984P_Hadrian_RPC4021.JPG
4021 JUDAEA, Gaza. Hadrian 130-31 AD Heracles Reference.
RPC III, 4021/3;

Issue Year 2 = 191

Obv. Α ΚΑ ΤΡ ΑΔΡΙΑΝ СƐ
Laureate head right, drapery on left shoulder

Rev. ΓΑΖΑ Β ΕΠΙ
Heracles standing r., with club and lion-skin; to l., מ

6.15 gr
19 mm
12h
okidoki
150_P_Hadrian__BMC_31.jpg
4025 JUDAEA, Gaza Hadrian 132 AD Tyche of GazaReference.
RPC III, 4025; Rosenberger 60; SNG ANS 916; BMC Palestine 31

Obv. AVT KAI TPA AΔPIANOC CE
laureate and draped bust right.

Rev. ΓAZA Γ EΠ I, BYP
Tyche of Gaza standing left, holding scepter and cornucopia; heifer (Cow) standing to left; date in upper left field; Marnas symbol in right.

10.41 gr
26 mm
12 h
okidoki
273_P_Hadrian_BMC.jpg
4026 JUDAEA, Gaza. Hadrian, 131-32 AD HeraclesReference.
RPC III, 4026; BMC Palestine, 46; Rosenberger 53; SNG ANS 921

Issue Year 3 = 192

Obv: AK ATΡA AΔΡIAN CE
laureate head right.

Rev: ΓΑΖΑ Γ (GAZA G) EΠI BYΡ
Heracles standing facing, head left, leaning on club, holding lion skin; Marnas symbol to left.

5.97 gr
18 mm
12h
okidoki
567_P_Hadrian_RPC.jpg
4029 JUDAEA, Gaza Hadrian 132-33 AD Io and Tyche Reference.
RPC III, 4029/12; De Saulcy 5; BMC 25; Cop. - Lindgren- - ANS.920

Issue Year 4 = 193

Obv. ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС С
Laureate and draped bust of Hadrian, right seen from rear.

Rev. ΕΙW ΓΑΖΑ
Below, mem; Δ ΕΠI ΓP; Io, in long dress, standing r., and City-goddess, in long dress, turreted and holding cornucopia in her l. hand, clasping hands

12.88 gr
26 mm
12h

Note.
Hadrian visited Gaza more than once, and it was upon such a visit in AD 128 that an additional reckoning date, that of the επιδημία (imperial visit), was added. During one of his trips the great temple of Zeus-Marnas may have been founded, as it first appears on the coins of Hadrian.
1 commentsokidoki
938_P_Hadrian_RPC4030.jpg
4030 JUDAEA, Gaza Hadrian 132-33 AD Tyche Reference.
RPC III, 4030; Sofaer 69; De Saulcy 6-7, BMC 36

Issue Year 4 = 193

Obv. ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑΝΟС С
Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right

Rev. ΓΑΖΑ Δ (Ε)ΕΠΙ ΓЧΡ
Tyche standing left, holding scepter and cornucopia; heifer to lower left, symbol of Marnas to lower right.

8.58 gr
21 mm
12h

Note.
From the François Righetti Collection, purchased from Shraga Quedar.
1 commentsokidoki
939_P_Hadrian_RPC4031.jpg
4031 JUDAEA, Gaza Hadrian 132-33 AD Heracles standingReference.
RPC III, 4031; Sofaer 73

Issue Year 4 = 193

Obv. Α ΚΑ ΤΡ ΑΔΡΙΑΝ СƐ
Laureate head of Hadrian, right with slight drapery

Rev. ΓΑΖΑ Δ ΕΠΙ ΓЧΡ
Heracles standing r., with club and lion-skin; to l., מ

4.16 gr
17 mm
12h

Note.
From the François Righetti Collection.

Hadrian visited Gaza more than once, and it was upon such a visit in AD 128 that an additional reckoning date, that of the επιδημία (imperial visit), was added. During one of his trips the great temple of Zeus-Marnas may have been founded, as it first appears on the coins of Hadrian.
okidoki
republic_denarius,_bacchus,_h_1443.jpg
431/1 A. Plautius A. Plautius. Republic: AR Denarius. Hendin 1443. BACCHIVS, IVDAEVS, kneeling figure facing right with palm branch in left hand, camel behind. A PLAVTIVS AED CVR S C, turreted head facing right.

Very worn, but I enjoy the historic significance of this coin. I understand this may be the first coin depicting Roman involvement in Judaea.
1 commentsLucas H
A__Plautius.jpg
431/1 A. Plautius A.Plautius. Republic: AR Denarius.. 55 B.C. (3.71g, 18.8mm, 5 h). Obv: . Turreted head of Cybele right, A PLAVTIVS before, AED CVR S C behind. Rev: BACCHIVS, IVDAEVS, kneeling figure facing right with palm branch in left hand, camel behind. Crawford 431/1. Hendin 1443, Plautia 13

This coin is historic in that it probably references Rome’s first involvement in Judaea, and the supplicant on the reverse may very well be Aristobulus.
4 commentsLucas H
VitelliusARdenariusVesta.jpg
709a, Vitellius, 2 January - 20 December 69 A.D.VITELLIUS AR silver denarius. RSC 72, RCV 2200. 19mm, 3.2 g. Obverse: A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P, laureate head right; Reverse - PONT MAXIM, Vesta seated right, holding scepter and patera. Quite decent. Ex. Incitatus Coins. Photo courtesy of Incitatus Coins.

De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families

Vitellius (69 A.D.)


John F. Donahue
College of William and Mary


It is often difficult to separate fact from fiction in assessing the life and reign of Vitellius. Maligned in the ancient sources as gluttonous and cruel, he was also a victim of a hostile biographical tradition established in the regime of the Flavians who had overthrown him. Nevertheless, his decision to march against Rome in 69 was pivotal, since his subsequent defeat signalled the end of military anarchy and the beginning of an extended period of political stability under Vespasian and his successors.

Early Life and Career

Aulus Vitellius was born in September, 15 AD, the son of Lucius Vitellius and his wife Sestilia. One of the most successful public figures of the Julio-Claudian period, Lucius Vitellius was a three-time consul and a fellow censor with the emperor Claudius. Aulus seems to have moved with equal ease in aristocratic circles, successively winning the attention of the emperors Gaius, Claudius, and Nero through flattery and political skill.

Among his attested public offices, Vitellius was a curator of public works, a senatorial post concerned with the maintenance and repair of public buildings in Rome, and he was also proconsul of North Africa, where he served as a deputy to his brother, perhaps about 55 A. D. In addition, he held at least two priesthoods, the first as a member of the Arval Brethren, in whose rituals he participated from 57 A.D., and the second, as one of the quindecemviri sacris faciundis, a sacred college famous for its feasts.

With respect to marriage and family, Vitellius first wed a certain Petroniana, the daughter of a consul, sometime in the early to mid thirties A.D. The union produced a son, Petronianus, allegedly blind in one eye and emancipated from his father's control as a result of being named his mother's heir. Tradition records that Vitellius killed the boy shortly after emancipation amid charges of parricide; the marriage soon ended in divorce. A second marriage, to Galeria Fundana, daughter of an ex-praetor, was more stable than the first. It produced another son, who was eventually killed by the Flavians after the overthrow of Vitellius, as well as a daughter. Galeria is praised by Tacitus for her good qualities, and in the end it was she who saw to Vitellius' burial.

Rise to Power and Emperorship

Without doubt, the most fortuitous moment in Vitellius' political career was his appointment as governor of Lower Germany by the emperor Galba late in 68. The decision seemed to have caught everybody by surprise, including Vitellius himself, who, according to Suetonius, was in straitened circumstances at the time. The choice may have been made to reduce the possibility of rebellion by the Rhine armies, disaffected by Galba's refusal to reward them for their part in suppressing the earlier uprising of Julius Vindex. Ironically, it was Vitellius' lack of military achievement and his reputation for gambling and gluttony that may have also figured in his selection. Galba perhaps calculated that a man with little military experience who could now plunder a province to satisfy his own stomach would never become disloyal. If so, it was a critical misjudgement by the emperor.

The rebellion began on January 1, 69 ("The Year of the Four Emperors"), when the legions of Upper Germany refused to renew their oath of allegiance to Galba. On January 2, Vitellius' own men, having heard of the previous day's events, saluted him as emperor at the instigation of the legionary legate Fabius Valens and his colleagues. Soon, in addition to the seven legions that Vitellius now had at his command in both Germanies, the forces in Gaul, Britain, and Raetia also came over to his side. Perhaps aware of his military inexperience, Vitellius did not immediately march on Rome himself. Instead, the advance was led by Valens and another legionary general, Aulus Caecina Alienus, with each man commanding a separate column. Vitellius would remain behind to mobilize a reserve force and follow later.

Caecina was already one hundred fifty miles on his way when news reached him that Galba had been overthrown and Otho had taken his place as emperor. Undeterred, he passed rapidly down the eastern borders of Gaul; Valens followed a more westerly route, quelling a mutiny along the way. By March both armies had successfully crossed the Alps and joined at Cremona, just north of the Po. Here they launced their Batavian auxiliaries against Otho's troops and routed them in the First Battle of Bedriacum. Otho killed himself on April 16, and three days later the soldiers in Rome swore their allegience to Vitellius. The senate too hailed him as emperor.

When Vitellius learned of these developments, he set out to Rome from Gaul. By all accounts the journey was a drunken feast marked by the lack of discipline of both the troops and the imperial entourage. Along the way he stopped at Lugdunum to present his six-year-old son Germanicus to the legions as his eventual successor. Later, at Cremona, Vitellius witnessed the corpse-filled battlefield of Otho's recent defeat with joy, unmoved by so many citizens denied a proper burial.

The emperor entered Rome in late June-early July. Conscious of making a break with the Julio-Claudian past, Vitellius was reluctant to assume the traditional titles of the princes, even though he enthusiastically made offerings to Nero and declared himself consul for life. To his credit, Vitellius did seem to show a measure of moderation in the transition to the principate. He assumed his powers gradually and was generally lenient to Otho's supporters, even pardoning Otho's brother Salvius Titianus, who had played a key role in the earlier regime. In addition, he participated in Senate meetings and continued the practice of providing entertainments for the Roman masses. An important practical change involved the awarding of posts customarily held by freedmen to equites, an indication of the growth of the imperial bureaucracy and its attractiveness to men of ambition.

In other matters, he replaced the existing praetorian guard and urban cohorts with sixteen praetorian cohorts and four urban units, all comprised of soldiers from the German armies. According to Tacitus, the decision prompted a mad scramble, with the men, and not their officers, choosing the branch of service that they preferred. The situation was clearly unsatisfactory but not surprising, given that Vitellius was a creation of his own troops. To secure his position further, he sent back to their old postings the legions that had fought for Otho, or he reassigned them to distant provinces. Yet discontent remained: the troops who had been defeated or betrayed at Bedriacum remained bitter, and detachments of three Moesian legions called upon by Otho were returned to their bases, having agitated against Vitellius at Aquileia.

Flavian Revolt

The Vitellian era at Rome was short-lived. By mid-July news had arrived that the legions of Egypt under Tiberius Julius Alexander had sworn allegiance to a rival emperor, Titus Flavius Vespasianus, the governor of Judaea and a successful and popular general. Vespasian was to hold Egypt while his colleague Mucianus, governor of Syria, was to invade Italy. Before the plan could be enacted, however, the Danube legions, former supporters of Otho, joined Vespasian's cause. Under the leadership of Antonius Primus, commander of the Sixth legion in Pannonia, and Cornelius Fuscus, imperial procurator in Illyricum, the legions made a rapid descent on Italy.

Although his forces were only half of what Vitellius commanded in Italy, Primus struck first before the emperor could muster additional reinforcements from Germany. To make matters worse for the Vitellians, Valens was ill, and Caecina, now consul, had begun collaborating with the Flavians. His troops refused to follow his lead, however, and arrested him at Hostilia near Cremona. They then joined the rest of the Vitellian forces trying to hold the Po River. With Vitellius still in Rome and his forces virtually leaderless, the two sides met in October in the Second Battle of Bedriacum. The emperor's troops were soundly defeated and Cremona was brutally sacked by the victors. In addition, Valens, whose health had recovered, was captured while raising an army for Vitellius in Gaul and Germany; he was eventually executed.

Meanwhile, Primus continued towards Rome. Vitellius made a weak attempt to thwart the advance at the Apennine passes, but his forces switched to the Flavian side without a fight at Narnia in mid-December. At Rome, matters were no better. Vespasian's elder brother, Titus Flavius Sabinus, the city prefect, was successful in an effort to convince Vitellius to abdicate but was frustrated by the mob in Rome and the emperor's soldiers. Forced to flee to the Capitol, Sabinus was set upon by Vitellius' German troops and soon killed, with the venerable Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus set ablaze in the process. Within two days, the Flavian army fought its way into Rome. In a pathetic final move, Vitellius disguised himself in dirty clothing and hid in the imperial doorkeeper's quarters, leaning a couch and a mattress against the door for protection. Dragged from his hiding place by the Flavian forces, he was hauled off half-naked to the Forum, where he was tortured, killed, and tossed into the Tiber. The principate could now pass to Vespasian.

Assessment

Vitellius has not escaped the hostility of his biographers. While he may well have been gluttonous, his depiction as indolent, cruel, and extravagant is based almost entirely on the propaganda of his enemies. On the other hand, whatever moderating tendencies he did show were overshadowed by his clear lack of military expertise, a deficiency that forced him to rely in critical situations on largely inneffective lieutenants. As a result he was no match for his Flavian successors, and his humiliating demise was perfectly in keeping with the overall failure of his reign.

Copyright (C) 1999, John Donahue.
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
VespasianPax_RICii10.jpg
710a, Vespasian, 1 July 69 - 24 June 79 A.D.Silver denarius, RIC II, 10, aVF, 3.5 g, 18mm, Rome mint, 69-71 AD; Obverse: IMP CAESA[R] VESPASIANV[S AV]G - Laureate head right; Reverse: COS ITER [T]R POT - Pax seated left holding branch and caduceus. Ex Imperial Coins.


De Imperatoribus Romanis:
An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families


Titus Flavius Vespasianus (A.D. 69-79)


John Donahue
College of William and Mary

Introduction

Titus Flavius Vespasianus (b. A.D. 9, d. A.D. 79, emperor A.D. 69-79) restored peace and stability to an empire in disarray following the death of Nero in A.D. 68. In the process he established the Flavian dynasty as the legitimate successor to the Imperial throne. Although we lack many details about the events and chronology of his reign, Vespasian provided practical leadership and a return to stable government - accomplishments which, when combined with his other achievements, make his emperorship particularly notable within the history of the Principate.

Early Life and Career

Vespasian was born at Falacrina near Sabine Reate on 17 November, A.D. 9, the son of T. Flavius Sabinus, a successful tax collector and banker, and Vespasia Polla. Both parents were of equestrian status. Few details of his first fifteen years survive, yet it appears that his father and mother were often away from home on business for long periods. As a result, Vespasian's early education became the responsibility of his paternal grandmother, Tertulla. [[1]] In about A.D. 25 Vespasian assumed the toga virilis and later accepted the wearing of the latus clavus, and with it the senatorial path that his older brother, T. Flavius Sabinus, had already chosen. [[2]] Although many of the particulars are lacking, the posts typically occupied by one intent upon a senatorial career soon followed: a military tribunate in Thrace, perhaps for three or four years; a quaestorship in Crete-Cyrene; and the offices of aedile and praetor, successively, under the emperor Gaius. [[3]]

It was during this period that Vespasian married Flavia Domitilla. Daughter of a treasury clerk and former mistress of an African knight, Flavia lacked the social standing and family connections that the politically ambitious usually sought through marriage. In any case, the couple produced three children, a daughter, also named Flavia Domitilla, and two sons, the future emperors Titus and Domitian . Flavia did not live to witness her husband's emperorship and after her death Vespasian returned to his former mistress Caenis, who had been secretary to Antonia (daughter of Marc Antony and mother of Claudius). Caenis apparently exerted considerable influence over Vespasian, prompting Suetonius to assert that she remained his wife in all but name, even after he became emperor. [[4]]

Following the assassination of Gaius on 24 January, A.D. 41, Vespasian advanced rapidly, thanks in large part to the new princeps Claudius, whose favor the Flavians had wisely secured with that of Antonia, the mother of Germanicus, and of Claudius' freedmen, especially Narcissus. [[5]] The emperor soon dispatched Vespasian to Argentoratum (Strasbourg) as legatus legionis II Augustae, apparently to prepare the legion for the invasion of Britain. Vespasian first appeared at the battle of Medway in A.D. 43, and soon thereafter led his legion across the south of England, where he engaged the enemy thirty times in battle, subdued two tribes, and conquered the Isle of Wight. According to Suetonius, these operations were conducted partly under Claudius and partly under Vespasian's commander, Aulus Plautius. Vespasian's contributions, however, did not go unnoticed; he received the ornamenta triumphalia and two priesthoods from Claudius for his exploits in Britain. [[6]]

By the end of A.D. 51 Vespasian had reached the consulship, the pinnacle of a political career at Rome. For reasons that remain obscure he withdrew from political life at this point, only to return when chosen proconsul of Africa about A.D. 63-64. His subsequent administration of the province was marked by severity and parsimony, earning him a reputation for being scrupulous but unpopular. [[7]] Upon completion of his term, Vespasian returned to Rome where, as a senior senator, he became a man of influence in the emperor Nero's court. [[8]] Important enough to be included on Nero's tour of Greece in A.D. 66-67, Vespasian soon found himself in the vicinity of increasing political turbulence in the East. The situation would prove pivotal in advancing his career.

Judaea and the Accession to Power

In response to rioting in Caesarea and Jerusalem that had led to the slaughter in the latter city of Jewish leaders and Roman soldiers, Nero granted to Vespasian in A.D. 66 a special command in the East with the objective of settling the revolt in Judaea. By spring A.D. 67, with 60,000 legionaries, auxiliaries, and allies under his control, Vespasian set out to subdue Galilee and then to cut off Jerusalem. Success was quick and decisive. By October all of Galilee had been pacified and plans for the strategic encirclement of Jerusalem were soon formed. [[9]] Meanwhile, at the other end of the empire, the revolts of Gaius Iulius Vindex, governor of Gallia Lugdunensis, and Servius Sulpicius Galba , governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, had brought Nero's reign to the brink of collapse. The emperor committed suicide in June, A.D. 68, thereby ensuring chaos for the next eighteen months, as first Galba and then Marcus Salvius Otho and Aulus Vitellius acceded to power. Each lacked broad-based military and senatorial support; each would be violently deposed in turn. [[10]]

Still occupied with plans against Jerusalem, Vespasian swore allegiance to each emperor. Shortly after Vitellius assumed power in spring, A.D. 69, however, Vespasian met on the border of Judaea and Syria with Gaius Licinius Mucianus, governor of Syria, and after a series of private and public consultations, the two decided to revolt. [[11]] On July 1, at the urging of Tiberius Alexander, prefect of Egypt, the legions of Alexandria declared for Vespasian, as did the legions of Judaea two days later. By August all of Syria and the Danube legions had done likewise. Vespasian next dispatched Mucianus to Italy with 20,000 troops, while he set out from Syria to Alexandria in order to control grain shipments for the purpose of starving Italy into submission. [[12]] The siege of Jerusalem he placed in the hands of his son Titus.

Meanwhile, the Danubian legions, unwilling to wait for Mucianus' arrival, began their march against Vitellius ' forces. The latter army, suffering from a lack of discipline and training, and unaccustomed to the heat of Rome, was defeated at Cremona in late October. [[13]] By mid-December the Flavian forces had reached Carsulae, 95 kilometers north of Rome on the Flaminian Road, where the Vitellians, with no further hope of reinforcements, soon surrendered. At Rome, unable to persuade his followers to accept terms for his abdication, Vitellius was in peril. On the morning of December 20 the Flavian army entered Rome. By that afternoon, the emperor was dead. [[14]]

Tacitus records that by December 22, A.D. 69, Vespasian had been given all the honors and privileges usually granted to emperors. Even so, the issue remains unclear, owing largely to a surviving fragment of an enabling law, the lex de imperio Vespasiani, which conferred powers, privileges, and exemptions, most with Julio-Claudian precedents, on the new emperor. Whether the fragment represents a typical granting of imperial powers that has uniquely survived in Vespasian's case, or is an attempt to limit or expand such powers, remains difficult to know. In any case, the lex sanctioned all that Vespasian had done up to its passing and gave him authority to act as he saw fit on behalf of the Roman people. [[15]]

What does seem clear is that Vespasian felt the need to legitimize his new reign with vigor. He zealously publicized the number of divine omens that predicted his accession and at every opportunity he accumulated multiple consulships and imperial salutations. He also actively promoted the principle of dynastic succession, insisting that the emperorship would fall to his son. The initiative was fulfilled when Titus succeeded his father in A.D. 79.[[16]]

Emperorship

Upon his arrival in Rome in late summer, A.D. 70, Vespasian faced the daunting task of restoring a city and a government ravaged by the recent civil wars. Although many particulars are missing, a portrait nevertheles emerges of a ruler conscientiously committed to the methodical renewal of both city and empire. Concerning Rome itself, the emperor encouraged rebuilding on vacated lots, restored the Capitol (burned in A.D. 69), and also began work on several new buildings: a temple to the deified Claudius on the Caelian Hill, a project designed to identify Vespasian as a legitimate heir to the Julio-Claudians, while distancing himself from Nero ; a temple of Peace near the Forum; and the magnificent Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheatre), located on the site of the lake of Nero 's Golden House. [[17]]

Claiming that he needed forty thousand million sesterces for these projects and for others aimed at putting the state on more secure footing, Vespasian is said to have revoked various imperial immunities, manipulated the supply of certain commodities to inflate their price, and increased provincial taxation. [[18]] The measures are consistent with his characterization in the sources as both obdurate and avaricious. There were occasional political problems as well: Helvidius Priscus, an advocate of senatorial independence and a critic of the Flavian regime from the start, was exiled after A.D. 75 and later executed; Marcellus Eprius and A. Alienus Caecina were condemned by Titus for conspiracy, the former committing suicide, the latter executed in A.D. 79.
As Suetonius claims, however, in financial matters Vespasian always put revenues to the best possible advantage, regardless of their source. Tacitus, too, offers a generally favorable assessment, citing Vespasian as the first man to improve after becoming emperor. [[19]] Thus do we find the princeps offering subventions to senators not possessing the property qualifications of their rank, restoring many cities throughout the empire, and granting state salaries for the first time to teachers of Latin and Greek rhetoric. To enhance Roman economic and social life even further, he encouraged theatrical productions by building a new stage for the Theatre of Marcellus, and he also put on lavish state dinners to assist the food trades. [[20]]

In other matters the emperor displayed similar concern. He restored the depleted ranks of the senatorial and equestrian orders with eligible Italian and provincial candidates and reduced the backlog of pending court cases at Rome. Vespasian also re-established discipline in the army, while punishing or dismissing large numbers of Vitellius ' men. [[21]]
Beyond Rome, the emperor increased the number of legions in the East and continued the process of imperial expansion by the annexation of northern England, the pacification of Wales, and by advances into Scotland and southwest Germany between the Rhine and the Danube. Vespasian also conferred rights on communities abroad, especially in Spain, where the granting of Latin rights to all native communities contributed to the rapid Romanization of that province during the Imperial period. [[22]]

Death and Assessment

In contrast to his immediate imperial predecessors, Vespasian died peacefully - at Aquae Cutiliae near his birthplace in Sabine country on 23 June, A.D. 79, after contracting a brief illness. The occasion is said to have inspired his deathbed quip: "Oh my, I must be turning into a god!" [[23]] In fact, public deification did follow his death, as did his internment in the Mausoleum of Augustus alongside the Julio-Claudians.

A man of strict military discipline and simple tastes, Vespasian proved to be a conscientious and generally tolerant administrator. More importantly, following the upheavals of A.D. 68-69, his reign was welcome for its general tranquility and restoration of peace. In Vespasian Rome found a leader who made no great breaks with tradition, yet his ability ro rebuild the empire and especially his willingness to expand the composition of the governing class helped to establish a positive working model for the "good emperors" of the second century.

Bibliography

Since the scholarship on Vespasian is more comprehensive than can be treated here, the works listed below are main accounts or bear directly upon issues discussed in the entry above. A comprehensive modern anglophone study of this emperor is yet to be produced.

Atti congresso internazionale di studi Flaviani, 2 vols. Rieti, 1983.

Atti congresso internazionale di studi Vespasianei, 2 vols. Rieti, 1981.

Bosworth, A.B. "Vespasian and the Provinces: Some Problems of the Early 70s A.D." Athenaeum 51 (1973): 49-78.

Brunt, P. A. "Lex de imperio Vespasiani." JRS (67) 1977: 95-116.

D'Espèrey, S. Franchet. "Vespasien, Titus et la littérature." ANRW II.32.5: 3048-3086.

Dudley, D. and Webster, G. The Roman Conquest of Britain. London, 1965.

Gonzalez, J. "The Lex Irnitana: A New Copy of the Flavian Municipal Law." JRS 76 (1986): 147-243.

Grant, M. The Roman Emperors: A Biographical Guide to the Rulers of Rome, 31 B.C. - A.D. 476. New York, 1985.

Homo, L. Vespasien, l'Empereur du bons sens (69-79 ap. J.-C.). Paris, 1949.

Levi, M.A. "I Flavi." ANRW II.2: 177-207.

McCrum, M. and Woodhead, A. G. Select Documents of the Principates of the Flavian Emperors Including the Year of the Revolution. Cambridge, 1966.

Nicols, John. Vespasian and the Partes Flavianae. Wiesbaden, 1978.

Scarre, C. Chronicle of the Roman Emperors. The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial Rome. London, 1995.

Suddington, D. B. The Development of the Roman Auxiliary Forces from Caesar to Vespasian, 49 B.C. - A.D. 79. Harare: U. of Zimbabwe, 1982.

Syme, R. Tacitus. Oxford, 1958.

Wardel, David. "Vespasian, Helvidius Priscus and the Restoration of the Capitol." Historia 45 (1996): 208-222.

Wellesley, K. The Long Year: A.D. 69. Bristol, 1989, 2nd ed.


Notes

[[1]] Suet. Vesp. 2.1. Suetonius remains the major source but see also Tac. Hist. 2-5; Cass. Dio 65; Joseph. BJ 3-4.

[[2]] Suetonius (Vesp. 2.1) claims that Vespasian did not accept the latus clavus, the broad striped toga worn by one aspiring to a senatorial career, immediately. The delay, however, was perhaps no more than three years. See J. Nicols, Vespasian and the Partes Flavianae (Wiesbaden, 1978), 2.

[[3]] Military tribunate and quaestorship: Suet. Vesp. 2.3; aedileship: ibid., 5.3, in which Gaius, furious that Vespasian had not kept the streets clean, as was his duty, ordered some soldiers to load him with filth;,they complied by stuffing his toga with as much as it could hold. See also Dio 59.12.2-3; praetorship: Suet. Vesp. 2.3, in which Vespasian is depicted as one of Gaius' leading adulators, an account consistent with Tacitus' portrayal (Hist 1.50.4; 2.5.1) of his early career. For a more complete discussion of these posts and attendant problems of dating, see Nicols, Vespasian, 2-7.

[[4]] Marriage and Caenis: Suet. Vesp. 3; Cass. Dio 65.14.

[[5]] Nicols, Vespasian, 12-39.

[[6]] Suet. Vesp. 4.1 For additional details on Vespasian's exploits in Britain, see D. Dudley and G. Webster, The Roman Conquest of Britain (London, 1965), 55 ff., 98.

[[7]] Concerning Vespasian's years between his consulship and proconsulship, see Suet. Vesp. 4.2 and Nicols, Vespasian, 9. On his unpopularity in Africa, see Suet. Vesp. 4.3, an account of a riot at Hadrumentum, where he was once pelted with turnips. In recording that Africa supported Vitellius in A.D. 69, Tacitus too suggests popular dissatisfaction with Vespasian's proconsulship. See Hist. 2.97.2.

[[8]] This despite the fact that the sources record two rebukes of Vespasian, one for extorting money from a young man seeking career advancement (Suet. Vesp. 4.3), the other for either leaving the room or dozing off during one of the emperor's recitals (Suet. Vesp. 4.4 and 14, which places the transgression in Greece; Tac. (Ann. 16.5.3), who makes Rome and the Quinquennial Games of A.D. 65 the setting; A. Braithwaite, C. Suetoni Tranquilli Divus Vespasianus, Oxford, 1927, 30, who argues for both Greece and Rome).

[[9]] Subjugation of Galilee: Joseph. BJ 3.65-4.106; siege of Jerusalem: ibid., 4.366-376, 414.

[[10]] Revolt of Vindex: Suet. Nero 40; Tac. Ann. 14.4; revolt of Galba: Suet. Galba 10; Plut. Galba, 4-5; suicide of Nero: Suet. Nero 49; Cass. Dio 63.29.2. For the most complete account of the period between Nero's death and the accession of Vespasian, see K. Wellesley, The Long Year: A.D. 69, 2nd. ed. (Bristol, 1989).

[[11]] Tac. Hist. 2.76.

[[12]] Troops in support of Vespasian: Suet. Vit. 15; Mucianus and his forces: Tac. Hist. 2.83; Vespasian and grain shipments: Joseph. BJ 4.605 ff.; see also Tac. Hist. 3.48, on Vespasian's possible plan to shut off grain shipments to Italy from Carthage as well.

[[13]] On Vitellius' army and its lack of discipline, see Tac. Hist. 2.93-94; illness of army: ibid., 2.99.1; Cremona: ibid., 3.32-33.

[[14]] On Vitellius' last days, see Tac. Hist. 3.68-81. On the complicated issue of Vitellius' death date, see L. Holzapfel, "Römische Kaiserdaten," Klio 13 (1913): 301.

[[15]] Honors, etc. Tac. Hist. 4.3. For more on the lex de imperio Vespasiani, see P. A. Brunt, "Lex de imperio Vespasiani," JRS (67) 1977: 95-116.

[[16]] Omens: Suet. Vesp. 5; consulships and honors: ibid., 8; succession of sons: ibid., 25.

[[17]] On Vespasian's restoration of Rome, see Suet. Vesp. 9; Cass. Dio 65.10; D. Wardel, "Vespasian, Helvidius Priscus and the Restoration of the Capitol," Historia 45 (1996): 208-222.

[[18]] Suet. Vesp. 16.

[[19]] Ibid.; Tac. Hist. 1.50.

[[20]] Suet. Vesp. 17-19.

[[21]] Ibid., 8-10.

[[22]] On Vespasian's exploits in Britain, see esp. Tac., Agricola, eds. R. M. Ogilvie and I. A. Richmond (1967), and W. S. Hanson, Agricola and the Conquest of the North (1987); on the granting of Latin rights in Spain, see, e.g., J. Gonzalez, "The Lex Irnitana: a New Copy of the Flavian Municipal Law." JRS 76 (1986): 147-243.

[[23]] For this witticism and other anecdotes concerning Vespasian's sense of humor, see Suet. Vesp. 23.

Copyright (C) 1998, John Donahue. Published on De Imperatoribus Romanis, an Online Encyplopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families.
http://www.roman-emperors.org/vespasia.htm
Used by permission.

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.





Cleisthenes
DomitianARDenariusHorseman.jpg
712a, Domitian, 13 September 81 - 18 September 96 A.D.Domitian, as Caesar, AR Denarius. 77-78 AD; RIC 242, VF, 18mm, 3.18grams. Obverse: CAESAR AVG F DOMITIA[NVS], laureate head right ; Reverse: COS V below man with hand raised out behind him on horse prancing right. RSC 49a. Scarce. Ex Zuzim Judaea.

De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families

Titus Flavius Domitianus(A.D. 81-96)


John Donahue
College of William and Mary

Domitian was born in Rome on 24 October A.D. 51, the youngest son of Vespasian, Roman emperor (A.D. 69-79) and Domitilla I, a treasury clerk's daughter. Little is known about Domitian in the turbulent 18 months of the four (five?) emperors, but in the aftermath of the downfall of Vitellius in A.D. 69 he presented himself to the invading Flavian forces, was hailed as Caesar, and moved into the imperial residence.

As emperor, Domitian was to become one of Rome's foremost micromanagers, especially concerning the economy. Shortly after taking office, he raised the silver content of the denarius by about 12% (to the earlier level of Augustus), only to devaluate it in A.D. 85, when the imperial income must have proved insufficient to meet military and public expenses.

Domitian's reach extended well beyond the economy. Late in A.D. 85 he made himself censor perpetuus, censor for life, with a general supervision of conduct and morals. The move was without precedent and, although largely symbolic, it nevertheless revealed Domitian's obsessive interest in all aspects of Roman life. An ardent supporter of traditional Roman religion, he also closely identified himself with Minerva and Jupiter, publicly linking the latter divinity to his regime through the Ludi Capitolini, the Capitoline Games, begun in A.D.86. Held every four years in the early summer, the Games consisted of chariot races, athletics and gymnastics, and music, oratory and poetry.

Beyond Rome, Domitian taxed provincials rigorously and was not afraid to impose his will on officials of every rank. Consistent with his concern for the details of administration, he also made essential changes in the organization of several provinces and established the office of curator to investigate financial mismanagement in the cities. Other evidence points to a concern with civic improvements of all kinds, from road building in Asia Minor, Sardinia and near the Danube to building and defensive improvements in North Africa.

While the military abilities of Vespasian and Titus were genuine, those of Domitian were not. Partly as an attempt to remedy this deficiency, Domitian frequently became involved in his own military exploits outside of Rome. He claimed a triumph in A.D. 83 for subduing the Chatti in Gaul, but the conquest was illusory. Final victory did not really come until A.D. 89. In Britain, similar propaganda masked the withdrawal of Roman forces from the northern borders to positions farther south, a clear sign of Domitian's rejection of expansionist warfare in the province.

Domitian's autocratic tendencies meant that the real seat of power during his reign resided with his court. The features typically associated with later courts - a small band of favored courtiers, a keen interest in the bizarre and the unusual (e.g., wrestlers, jesters, and dwarves), and a highly mannered, if somewhat artificial atmosphere, characterized Domitian's palace too, whether at Rome or at his Alban villa, some 20 kilometers outside of the capital.

On 18 September, A.D. 96, Domitian was assassinated and was succeeded on the very same day by M. Cocceius Nerva, a senator and one of his amici. The sources are unanimous in stressing that this was a palace plot, yet it is difficult to determine the level of culpability among the various potential conspirators.
In many ways, Domitian is still a mystery - a lazy and licentious ruler by some accounts, an ambitious administrator and keeper of traditional Roman religion by others. As many of his economic, provincial, and military policies reveal, he was efficient and practical in much that he undertook, yet he also did nothing to hide the harsher despotic realities of his rule. This fact, combined with his solitary personality and frequent absences from Rome, guaranteed a harsh portrayal of his rule. The ultimate truths of his reign remain difficult to know.

Copyright (C) 1997, John Donahue.
Published: De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and their Families http://www.roman-emperors.org/startup.htm. Used by permission.

Perhaps the reverse of this Domitian/Horseman specimen depicts Domitian as he rode a white horse behind his father, Vespasian, and his brother, Titus, during their joint triumph celebrating their victory over Judaea (see: Suetonius. The Twelve Caesars. Trans. Robert Graves. London: Penguin, 2003. 304).

Edited by J. P. Fitzgerald, Jr.
Cleisthenes
domitian_RIC305.jpg
81-96 AD - DOMITIAN AE as - struck 85-86 ADobv: IMP.CAES.DOMIT.AVG.GERM.COS.XI.CENS.PER.P.P. (laureate head right)
rev: VICTORIAE AVGVSTI (Victory standing left, holding palm, inscibing shield set on trophy of german arms), in centre field, S – C
ref: RIC II 305 (C), C.642 (3frcs)
mint: Rome
11.16gms, 26mm
(Although RIC describes this coin as common, I think it's scarce)

Domitian was eager to display his military prowess, just as his father and brother had succeeded in Judaea, he wanted to be known as conqueror of the Germans. He claimed a triumph in A.D. 83 for subduing the Chatti in Gaul, but the conquest was illusory.
1 commentsberserker
Hendin_160a_Triptych_28NYS29.jpg
A. Overstrike: Bar Kochba AE over Flavian AE, Hendin Plate CoinPhoto Credit: NYS (edited).
Judaea, Bar Kochba Rebellion AE Middle Bronze (25mm, 9.88 g, 6h; undertype Agrippa II – Titus [87/8 CE]), 133/4 CE.
Obv: 'Sma' (abbreviating Simon; Paleo-Hebrew). Seven-branched palm tree, two bunches of dates.
Rev: 'Year two of the redemption of Israel' (Paleo-Hebrew). Grape vine leaf on tendril. Undertype portrait of Titus visible.
Ref: Hendin GBC2, 160a (this coin illustrated).
Prov: Ex David Hendin Collection (w/ his tag), Goldberg Sale 21 (15-17 2003, Pre-Long Beach Auction), Lot 1607; CNG e-538 (10 May 2023), Lot 244.
Also: NY Sale 48 (14 Jan 2020), Lot 90; Goldberg 116 (2 Jun 2020), Lot 894; CNG e-486 (24 Feb 2021), Lot 245; NY Sale 54 (11 Jan 2022), Lot 105.

Notes: A fascinating overstrike with visible Flavian bust, probably a “Judaea Capta” issue of Agrippa II struck in Caesarea Paneas, 75/6 CE. In my opinion, the undertype is RPC II 2285 & the bust of Titus is a die match to ex. 7 (ex Galst).
2 commentsCurtis JJ
Bacchivs.jpg
A. PlautiusA. Plautius 54 BCE, denarius, 21mm., Rome mint. O: Turreted head of Cybele right, A PLAVTIVS before, AED CVR SC behind. R: Bacchius (Aristobulus II) kneeling right, extending olive branch, camel at side, BACCHIVS in exergue, IVDAEVS on right. Hendin 1443

The 'Bacchius the Jew' kneeling on the reverse is most likely Judah Aristobulus II, who usurped the throne of Judea from his brother John Hyrcanus II between 67 and 63 BC. In 63 BCE, Pompey the Great sided with Hyrcanus and subjected Jerusalem to a brutal siege and sacking, deposing Aristobulus II. Pompey went so far as to enter the Holy of Holies, defiling the sanctuary and marking the end of the great Hasmonean dynasty.

The Romans now had a foot in the door and were not about to remove it. Hyrcanus became a Roman ethnarch, one who ruled by the grace of the Romans, dependent on their goodwill and support to retain his throne.

Aristobulus was permitted to live as a hostage in Rome, but later escaped and tried to resume the throne, only to be defeated again by M. Aemilius Scaurus. This issue celebrates this unsuccessful attempt to regain control of Judaea.

Behind the scenes, a rich Idumaean chieftain named Antipater continued to manipulate Hyrcanus and to pander to Rome, building influence and power. This set the stage for the eventual rise to power of his infamous son, Herod the Great.

Except for the inscription, this coin is of the same reverse type as Hendin 1441.
2 commentsNemonater
IVDAEVS.jpg
A. Plautius denarius 55 BCEA. Plautius.

AED • CVR • S • C downwards to left, A • PLAVTIVS downward to right
Turreted head of Cybele right, wearing cruciform earring, hair in knot, locks falling down neck;

IVDAEVS upward to right, BACCHIVS in exergue.
Bearded male figure (Aristobulus II) kneels right with palm branch in left hand, alongside camel

Rome, 55 BCE.

3.75g

Hendin 6470

Ex-Taters

The very first Judaea Capta type commemorating the defeat of Aristobulus II in trying to usurp the High Priesthood and Kingship from his brother Hyrcanus II.

From Hendin's Guide to Biblical Coins volume 6:

"Bacchus the Jew has been an enigma in numismatics. The most popular opinion is that the figure on the coin represents Aristobulus II, ally of Aretas III, and commemorates Aristobulus' unsuccessful insurrection against both his brother Hyrcanus II and Pompey the Great.


"I suggest that BACCHIVS IVDAEVS is not only half-playful, but tauntingly mean and mischievous as well. There are numerous suggestions that many Romans and Greeks believed the ancient Jewish religion to be a cult of Dionysus, the popular god of grapes and winemaking, feasting, drunken behavior, and ecstasy. Josephus does not discuss any aspects of Bacchus and the Jews, but he mentions that Herod I presented a golden vine to the Temple. It was used to hang donatives of golden grapes and vine leaves and the vine was said to be part of the booty taken to Rome by Titus. Among the important prayers in Judaism, both ancient and modern, are those prayers that call upon the monotheistic God to bless "the fruit of the vine."
Grapes were also one of the seven species listed in Deuteronomy 8:8 as special products of the ancient Land of Israel. The relationship the Greeks and Romans fantasized to exist between the Jews and Dionysus may also be related to the traditional mythology that Dionysus was the son of Semele, "who was the daughter of Cadmus, who, being a Phoenician, was a Semite who spoke a language closely akin to Hebrew." (GBC p. 367)"
10 commentsJay GT4
ZomboDroid_23042022003204.jpg
Aelia Capitolina, Judaea. Antoninus Pius (138 - 161 AD). AE (22 mm, 9.65 gm, 12hObv. Draped bust of Antoninus Pius r., laureate; IMP ANTONINVS AVG PPP
Rev. Dioscuri standing facing, looking at each other, one hand on spear, the other on hip, between them eagle standing facing, looking l.; CO AE CA (colonia Aelia Capitolina).
References: Sofaer pl. 72,24. Rosenberger -. Meshorer (Aelia) 28
Canaan
479c.jpg
aelia106-1Elagabalus
Aelia Capitolina, Judaea

Obv: IMP C M AVR ANTONINVS. Laureate draped bust right.
Rev: COL AEL C COM, → P F. She-wolf standing right, head forward, suckling Romulus and Remus.
24 mm, 10.00 gms

Sofaer 106
Charles M
1836__Leu_Numismatik,_Auction_9,_#5.jpg
aelia110Elagabalus
Aelia Capitolina, Judaea

Obv: IMP C M AVR ANTONINVS [AVG]; Radiate head right.
Rev: COL AEL CAP COMM P F; Tyche-Astarte standing front, head to left, right foot on uncertain object, holding small bust in her right hand and scepter in her left, being crowned by small Nike.
25 mm, 8.41 gms

Sofaer 110; Meshorer 122a.

From the Aelia Capitolina Collection and the Shoshanna Collection, Part I, Heritage, 9 March 2012, 88.
Purchased from Leu Numismatik Web Auction 9, lot 945.
Charles M
1263.jpg
aelia111-1Elagabalus
Aelia Capitolina, Judaea

Obv: IMP C M AVR ANTONINVS AVG. Radiate draped and cuirassed bust right.
Rev: COL AEL CAP COMM, → P F. Tyche within tetrastyle temple with central arch, holding bust and scepter, right foot on uncertain object. Nikes between outer columns.
26 mm, 10.71 gms

Sofaer 111
Charles M
1290.jpg
aelia116-1Elagabalus
Aelia Capitolina, Judaea

Obv: IMP C M AV ANTONINVS. Laureate bust right.
Rev: Tyche standing left, resting on scepter and holding small bust over altar in front of her; in left field legionary standard with eagle; in exergue, wine cup.
23 mm, 9.37 gms

Sofaer 116
Charles M
1305.jpg
aelia116-2Elagabalus
Aelia Capitolina, Judaea

Obv: [IMP C M AV ANTONINVS]. Laureate bust right.
Rev: [COL A C C] CPF. Tyche standing left, resting on scepter and holding small bust over altar in front of her; in left field legionary standard with eagle; in exergue, wine cup.
23 mm, 7.50 gms

Sofaer 116
Charles M
1546c.jpg
aelia120-1Elagabalus
Aelia Capitolina, Judaea

Obv: Laureate draped bust right.
Rev: ...AELIA..., The stone of Emesa, surmounted by eagle, carried on quadriga facing.
23 mm, 11.04 gms

Sofaer 120
Charles M
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