The emperor Titus' personal propaganda was mostly based upon his victory against the Jews. Many coins celebrating this achievement were minted in Rome, with the famous legend Judaea capta. In Caesarea, the capital of the province of Judaea, other coins with the same propaganda were minted with the Greek legend Ἰουδαίας ἑαλωκυίας, which is the translation of the Latin legend. This coin was given to me by a friend from Jerusalem : Titus, Judaea, AE 22 mm, 12.27 g, 12 h. Obv.: worn out legend: [ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΤΙΤΟΣ ΚΑΙΣΑΡ], laureate head right Rev.: ΙΟΥΔΑΙΑΣ [ΕΑΛШΚΥΙΑΣ], trophy, bound captive seated to left, shield to right RPC II, 2313 Was such a coin intended to be a provocation for the population of the province? Probably not: Roman coins are supposed to carry positive messages. Judaea was not inhabited only by Jews, there were many Greeks, Syrians, Philistians, Arabs too, especially in the coastal cities like Ptolemais, Caesarea, Joppe, Ascalon, Gaza. For them, the defeat of the Jews was a positive thing and a reason to thank Titus.
Thank you for sharing your rare and historic coin, @GinoLR . The fact that it was given to you by a friend makes it even more special. I don’t have one of that type, but here are my Judaea Capta coins from the Caesarea Maritima mint struck under Domitian, and my Vespasian Judaea Capta denarius.
Nice coin! I think there is a definite triumphal theme to the coin; the Romans and others used coinage to convey messages or themes that suited their needs. On the other hand the practical aspect of coinage is to circulate and facilitate commerce as was the primary intent of this coin.
