I was quite thrilled to have won this coin in the last CNG eAuction. It surprisingly went much cheaper than I thought a 'Judaea Capta' type should have in a CNG auction. Not that I'm complaining! Vespasian Æ Sestertius, 19.38g Rome mint, 71 AD Obv: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III; Head of Vespasian, laureate, r. Rev: VICTORIA AVGVSTI; S C in exergue; Victory stg. r., l. foot on helmet, inscribing OB / CIV / SERV on shield on palm tree; to r., Judaea std. r. RIC 221 (C3). BMC 582. BNC 561. Ex CNG eAuction 453, 2 October 2019, lot 522. The commonness of most Judaea Capta types underscores how important the Jewish War and subsequent defeat of the Jews was to the fledgling Flavian dynasty. This iconic sestertius from the second bronze issue of 71 was struck in fairly plentiful numbers. Colin Kraay records 21 different obverse dies used for this one type alone. The iconography on the reverse is quite explicit. Victory, nude from the waist up, is inscribing a shield attached to the trunk of a palm tree, the palm being a topographical symbol for the land of Judaea. The personification of Judaea herself sits in dejected mode to the right of the palm. The inscription on the shield, OB CIV SERV - 'for saving the citizens', credits the emperor for keeping the empire safe. The clear allegorical message of the reverse crediting Vespasian for defeating the Jews and saving the empire would have been quite apparent to most people handling this coin. The amount of propaganda squeezed from the rebellion of such a small region is indeed remarkable. Josephus' declaration of the Jewish War as the 'greatest' of all time would have been quite welcomed by the Flavian regime. The iconography of the coin's reverse can also be seen on a cuirassed statue of Vespasian found in the forum of Sabratha, testifying to the popularity of this visual 'Judaea Capta' panegyric to the emperor. Feel free to post any coins you think relevant.
Nice Capta, @David Atherton ! That reverse! Victory stepping on a conquered helmet, and writing them off... a statement! I always chuckle when I see various armored statues, especially with ornate carvings. Despite the IVDEA CAPTA scene on his belly, they still have to carve in a belly button in the cuirass! LOL I do not have a IVDEA CAPTA, but I do have a victory coin of his: VESPASIAN: RI Vespasian 69-79 CE AR Quinarius VICTORIA AVGVST Victory std L Rare
David, Nice score for $500.00 . I was eyeballing that coin too . The cleaning marks aren't abusive & you must look hard to see them. Pictured below is my only Judaea Capta issue.
I believe the first coin needed as a lead in to the Judaea Capta series belongs to Nero. The doors of the Temple of Janus were closed whenever Rome was at peace worldwide. This came up rarely but was celebrated by Nero with his coins in several denominations. What makes it pertinent here is that the unrest in Judaea that led to Vespasian being sent to deal with the rebellion is what caused the doors of Janus to be opened again. This is an as.
Titus Ae As with same motif... Titus. As Caesar, AD 69-79. Æ As (27.5mm, 11.18 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck under Vespasian, AD 77-78. T CAESAR VESPASIANVS TR P COS VI, laureate head right / VICTORIA AVGVST, Victory standing right on prow, holding palm frond over shoulder and wreath; S C flanking. RIC II 1035 (Vespasian); Hendin, p. 412.
Quite fitting to show a coin that symbolises the relative calm before the storm. It does makes a nice narrative beginning to the series.
