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Jewish Coins :
Roman Judea Capta : Judaea Capta Bronze Coin of Emperor Titus
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Judaea Capta Bronze Coin of Emperor Titus - C.0438
Origin: Ceasarea
Circa: 70
AD
to 81
AD
Collection: Jewish Coins
Medium: Bronze
$1,500.00
Location: United States
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Many unfortunate disasters occurred in the Roman Empire
during the reign of Titus. An epidemic of plague swept the
empire, fire burned in Rome for three days, and Mount
Vesuvius erupted on the Bay of Naples, burying Pompeii and
Herculaneum and killing thousands of people. Much of Titus’
reign is marked with his acts of kindness in trying to ease
the suffering of his unfortunate people. Titus succeeded his
father as emperor after his death. He had been Caesar under
his father Vespasian during the last few years of his reign
and helped Vespasian to govern wisely. Titus fell very much
in love with Berenice, the Jewish queen and sister of King
Agrippa II. Together, Agrippa and Berenice ruled parts of
Palestine and Syria as client king and queen of Rome.
Though they cooperated with the Romans, some of their
subjects did not, starting a bloody rebellion that ultimately
led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. Most of
the Roman citizens sharply disapproved of the affair between
an heir to the throne and a foreign queen, much as they had
when Julius Caesar and Marc Antony had tried to make
Cleopatra their queen. Sadly, Titus sent his one true love
back to Jerusalem in order that he might not offend Roman
society. The Colosseum, or Flavian Amphitheater, was
completed during the reign of Titus. Titus died from a short
illness after having reigned two years and two months. There
was a rumor that his brother Domitian poisoned him, but
there is no real evidence to support the accusation.
How many hands have touched a coin in your pocket or
purse? What eras and lands have the coin traversed on its
journey into our possession? As we reach into our pockets to
pull out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of who
might have touched the coin before us, or where the coin
will venture to after it leaves our hands. More than money,
coins are a symbol of the state that struck them, of a
specific time and location, whether active currencies in the
age we live or artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This
stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise of
craftsmanship and intricate sculptural detail that is often
lacking in contemporary machine-made currencies. This
coin commemorates Rome’s victory against the Jewish
rebellion. While Rome’s occupation of the Holy Land was
short-lived, artifacts like this coin live one: concrete
remnants of ancient empires passed from the hands of
civilization to civilization, from generation to generation.
- (C.0438)
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