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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Mike Margolis, post: 2869133, member: 88401&quot;]This coin has baffled numismatists for centuries. I have a new take on it and open it up to others ideas, especially those in the biblical ancients field. Most nowadays agree that this is the first &quot;Judea Capta&quot; Roman style coin and that the guy on the back is&nbsp; the Jewish High Priest Aristobulus who was captured and imprisoned in Rome. He is kneeling and offering an olive branch to a Roman soldier out of view to the right. It is the same style as another issue by a different moneyer a few years earlier who has a defeated Nabatean King kneeling by his camel in the same fashion but a totally different Obverse.</p><p>The mystery has been the name &quot;Bacchius&quot; which was not an alternate name of Aristobulus. Some people explain this by saying that the word &quot;Bacchius&quot; is used as a generic for &quot;priest&quot; as in a priest of the Roman deity Bacchus. They also say that the Jewish priest is by a camel because the Romans grouped the Jews and Arabs as in the same ethnic group so the camel fits. Maybe that works since there were Jewish Bedouins also that may have used camels but the association is not&nbsp; as tight as with the Sahara dwelling Arabs. Not sure on the history of that though.</p><p>My question that I believe changes the whole equation is the bust of Cybele on the Obverse of the coin which is not on the earlier issue by the moneyer Scarus. The mythology tells us in many different stories that she was famous as the grandmother and wet nurse of the deity BACCHUS!! Could that be just a coincidence that she is on the front and the name &quot;BACCHIUS&quot; is in exergue on the reverse. That changes the fact that the deities name is just a personal name of a particular defeated Jew. Any other thoughts or info on this type? I will post the coin below and the earlier like issue of the celebrating the Nabatean defeat.[ATTACH=full]685222[/ATTACH]</p><p>Attribution: Crawford 431/1; Plautia 13; Sydenham 932</p><p>Date: 55 BC</p><p>Obverse: A PLAVTIVS before turreted head of Cybele right</p><p>Reverse: Aristobulus, the Jewish High Priest kneeling right and extending olive branch, his camel beside him; IVDAEVS to left; BACCHIVS in exergue</p><p>Size: 18.3 mm</p><p>Weight: 3.69 grams</p><p>Description: good Fine.</p><p>And here is the earlier like type 58 BC by moneyer Scarus:[ATTACH=full]685228[/ATTACH]</p><p>btw- as most of the coins I have the one above is worn and was affordable on my budget and the words were very clear. The image of the second issue pictured of the Scarus coin was just gotten from the net.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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