Not in the sense that the coins themselves are significant.. but humor me here for a few brief moments. One of my distractions over the past 10 years or so has been purchasing coins that are relatively inexpensive yet pulled some sort of backstory. Not backstory as in it was a shipwreck coin or anything that specific. Backstory as in this coin was in circulation in the same country as <insert name of famous historical figure> when they were alive. I am purposely excluding American coins. I'm not sure why. Maybe they're not old enough.. maybe there would be too many.. I don't know. (But I sure do love me some Ben Franklin Fugio cents ) Pertinent examples include: Themes 7 Ancient Wonders of the World 7 Churches of Revelation Monarchs of (country) 12 Caesars A la Carte King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella Elizabeth I Louis XIV King George III (American Revolution) Coins of the crusades Cleopatra Marcus Aurelius Marc Antony Alexander the Great (You get the idea) (I won't go into why any of these individuals or events are significant. Some are obvious; but that may vary from person to person.) If this idea interests you, or even if you just want to throw in your $0.02, please comment here. Also included justification for your choice. Again, this is not limited to individuals. It could be a coin related to a well-known event, place, or just about anything. There were tons of coins in circulation when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. But having one FROM Pompeii would be *really* cool. Probably out of my price range though. The only real criteria is that the topic of the coin, or even the country / time period, has to correspond to something or someone that is historically and or culturally well-recognized.
Theme: Suppression of the first Jewish Revolt The city walls on the mural crown of Tyche on the reverse of the coin below are among the most clear of several coins that I have which depict her. What I like most about this coin though is first, that it is a regional coin struck in 73/4 AD, the same year that Masada fell; and second, that it features Titus, who just a few years earlier used battering rams to breach the three concentric walls of Jerusalem, then destroyed the temple and much of the city. Third, it is from the region of Gadara where this coin was minted that Jesus cast out demons into swine. Gadara was a city of the Decapolis. I have visited Jerusalem, and Masada, as well as the extensive ruins of Scythopolis, the only city of the Decapolis that was on the western side of the Jordan River. Gadara, Decapolis. Titus as Caesar (69-79 AD). AE (17 mm, 4.10 g, 12 h). TITOΣ KAIΣAP; Laureate head of Titus right / Turreted, veiled and draped bust of Tyche right; to left, ΓΑΔΑPA (Gadara); to right, date: L ZΛP (year 137 = 73/4 AD). Spijkerman 29. Notes: The Fall of Masada occurred in 73/4 AD, the same timeframe in which this coin was struck. The siege was led by Lucius Flavius Silva, the Roman governor of Iudaea who commanded the Roman’s Legio X Fretensis which had been permamently stationed to occupy the territory in 70 AD. The Jewish rebellion began in 66 AD, and Nero appointed Titus’ father, General Vespasian to suppress it in 67 AD. Vespasian began that campaign with the invasion and pacification of Galilee in 67/68 AD. In 69 AD, in the midst of Roman civil unrest that followed Nero’s suicide in 68 AD, Vespasian turned his attention to battle Vitellius for imperial power and left Titus in charge of continuing the military campaign in Judaea. In 70 AD, just a few years before this coin was minted, General Titus used battering rams to breach the outer/third northern wall of Jerusalem on the 15th day of his siege of the city, and 5 days later the middle wall was also breached. In early July 70 AD, the strategic Antonia Fortress overlooking the temple area was captured, and on August 10, 70 CE (9th of Av), the final inner defenses fell, the Temple was set ablaze, and much of Jerusalem was destroyed. It was at Gadara that Jesus cast out demons into a herd of ~2,000 swine which then rushed down a steep bank and were drowned in the Sea of Galilee. (Mt 8:28f). Notes on Gadara from biblegateway.com: Gadara GADARA, găd’ ə rə GADARENES, -renz (Γαδαρά; Γαδαρήνες). A city of Transjordania, about six m. SE of the southern end of the Sea of Galilee, one of the cities of the Decapolis; the inhabitants of the city and surrounding countryside, which were predominantly non-Jewish. 1. The gospels. The only NT reference to Gadara (Matt 8:28), is the account of the healing of two demoniacs and the drowning of the swine in the Sea of Galilee. The parallel passages (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26; cf. v. 37), though mentioning the one demoniac, refer to the same episode. In each gospel reference there is a textual variant concerning the spelling of the name. The RSV reading of “Gadarenes” (Matt) and “Gerasenes” (Mark and Luke) is correct according to the textual evidence, and suggests some difficulty in identifying the place. This problem of harmonization is resolved if one remembers that each reference is to the country (ἡ χώρα) of the Gadarenes-Gerasenes. The geography and history sources show that the area designations prob. overlapped; Gadara was the chief city of the immediate area, whereas Gerasa may have referred to a wider area including the lesser city of Gadara. Matthew gives a specific reference to the Gadarenes, Mark and Luke a more general reference to Gerasenes. The third reading “Gergesenes,” although it has poor MS evidence and obviously is a late, confused effort to harmonize the synoptic texts, yet gives the best location for the incident near the village of Gergesa. Although topographical maps show hills all along the SE shore of the Sea of Galilee, geographers who visited the area say the only place to locate the drowning swine incident is a strip of steep coastline near Gergesa, the present-day Kersa (cf. Gerasa, Gergesa). 2. History. Several references to Gadara appear in Josephus. In the Maccabean wars, Alexander Jannaeus took the city after a ten month siege (Jos. Antiq., XII, iii. 3; Jos. War, I. iv. 2) and demolished it. After the Rom. conquest it was rebuilt by Pompey in 63 b.c.(War. I. vii. 7) and made a “free” city. Gabinius made it the capital of one of the five districts of occupied Pal. Herod the Great received it as a gift from Augustus in 30 b.c. (Jos. Antiq. XV. vii. 3; Jos. War. I, xx. 3). Herod ruled it harshly and was sustained in his policy by the emperor (Jos Antiq. XV. x. 3). At Herod’s death it was annexed to Syria (Jos. Antiq. XVII. xi. 4; Jos. War, II. xviii. 1). During the rebellion of a.d. 68-70 it fell quickly to Vespasian, who burned it and plundered the countryside (Jos. War, III. vii. 1). Rebuilt again, it flourished, as coins from the city show, until a.d. 240. It had a Christian church from the 2nd cent. and was the seat of a bishop from a.d. 325 until the Moslem conquest. 3. Archeology. Gadara is identified today as Muqeis, or Umm Qeis, overlooking the S valley of the Yarmuk river. The ruins are extensive, including remnants of two amphitheaters, a basilica, a temple, colonnades, large residences, and an aqueduct, all showing the size, beauty, and importance of the city. Another Gadara is mentioned by Josephus as “the capital of Perea” (Jos. War, IV. vii. 3), but he may have confused it with Gerasa. Bibliography W. A. Thomson, The Land and the Book (1882) 333-338, 353-359; A. Plummer, Gospel According to St. Matthew (1909), 132, 133; M. F. Unger, Archaeology and the New Testament (1962), 139-141.
A la Carte: Antony & Octavian, the two most powerful figures in the final years of the Roman Republic / Battle of Actium Opponents Mark Antony and Octavian. Denarius (Silver, 20 mm, 3.70 g, 12 h), with M. Barbatius, Ephesus (?), 41. M•ANT•I(MP)•(AV)G III•VIR•R•P•C•M•BARBAT•Q•P Bare head of Mark Antony to right. Rev. CAESAR•IMP•PONT•III•VIR•R•P•C• Bare head of Octavian to right. Babelon (Antonia) 51, (Julia) 96 and (Barbatia) 2. Cohen 8. Crawford 517/2. CRI 243. RBW 1798. Sydenham 1181. Well centered and lightly toned. A couple of bankers' marks and a few minor scratches, otherwise, very fine.
Hi All, Refs: RIC-15, Cohen-226, Hendin 6509 The coins of this so-called Judaea Capta series represent the broadest and most diverse series of coins commemorating a Roman victory issued in history to that time; hence it is clear that the emperor Vespasian and his sons fully intended for their victory over the Jews to be the "talk of the empire." Universal attention was their desire, observes H St J Hart: "All the world must know and meditate the destruction of that rebellious and warlike nation, the Jews, and that a long and difficult war, with disturbing possibilities of complications throughout the empire is over." Rome was the main mint for the coins of the Judaea Capta series, and they were issued in gold, silver, and bronze of all denominations. To further reinforce the idea of total victory over the Jewish nation, Judaea Capta coins were even issued locally in the Land of Israel, being struck in Caesarea and carrying Greek legends. The Roman Judaea Capta coins carry legends such as IVDAEA CAPTA, IVDAEA DEVICTA, and simply IVDAEA. Additionally, there are a number of VICTORIA AVGVSTI types that belong to this series. Some of the coins have no legend at all, the scene depicted telling the entire story. The central device of virtually all of the Judaea Capta coins is a weeping Jewess; she usually sits mourning beneath a palm tree, the symbol of Judaea. Some of the coins also show a victorious emperor (or sometimes Nike in his place) dominating the scene, wearing battle dress, with sword and spear, foot resting on a helmet. Broken swords, shields, and other arms are sometimes scattered around the dejected mourner. Vespasian could proclaim his victory in a triumphal celebration, and by building a victory arch or two. But these were stationary items or single events-the people had to come to observe them. What was really needed was a form of mass communication to spread the word widely and often. The perfect vehicle for this was the coin of the realm, since coins were handled and examined many thousands of times each day throughout the empire. - Broucheion
