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Showcase Auction 61288 18 Sep 2022
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Titus, as Augustus (AD 79-81). AE sestertius (34mm, 24.96 gm, 11h). NGC VG 4/5 - 3/5. Uncertain Balkan or Thracian mint, AD 80-81. IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII, laureate head of Titus right / IVDAEA-CAPTA, palm tree; on left, Titus standing right, left foot on globe, spear in right hand, parazonium in left; on right, Judaea seated right on cuirass in attitude of morning; S-C in exergue. RIC II.1 502. RPC -. GBC 5, 1597. Scarce. Attractive earthen patina.
From the Historical Scholar Collection
The famous reverse legend IVDAEA CAPTA refers to the triumph of Titus over the Jewish rebels and the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem the prior year. Six hundred years earlier, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II and his conquering army had destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem, carrying away the Jewish people as slaves back to Babylon. The Romans chose to leave the subjugated Jewish population in place, a mistake that would come back to haunt them in the Bar Kokhba Revolt 60 years later. But if not steal the Jewish population as the Babylonians had done, what did the Romans loot from Judaea as spoils of war?
Though the Romans had been enraged by the insubordination of the Jews, they held a certain respect for the ancient nature of the Jewish religion and its institutions, part of the reason that Roman authorities permitted Judaism while persecuting newer "cults" like Christianity. When Titus' triumphant forces descended upon the city in August AD 70, they fixated on the Temple, the center of the Jewish faith and therefore of the revolt against Rome. Before destroying the structure, the Roman legionaries looted the sacred relics of the Temple, including the Table of the Sacred Bread, a table of solid gold that held various food and drink that was a type of permanent offering to God. But the greatest prize of all was the gold menorah, which was paraded through the streets of Rome along with the aforementioned Table and the sacred trumpets during Titus' triumph. The whole scene, including the menorah, is featured prominently on the Arch of Titus, which still stands today in Rome.
The tale of the menorah's fate captivates any lover of ancient history. The menorah remained in Rome for several centuries, prized as one of the empire's greatest spoils of war. In AD 455, the Vandals under Gaiseric sailed to Rome from their capital at Carthage and savagely sacked the city, looting much of what had not been touched by the Visigothic sack a half century earlier. Among the treasures carried back to across the Mediterranean was probably the menorah, which remained in Carthage until the armies of Justinian came to reconquer Africa for the Eastern Roman Empire. Justinian's great general Belisarius swiftly defeated the Vandals, reincorporating Africa into the Roman state and returning to Constantinople in AD 534 for a splendid triumph. It is here that the menorah is directly attested: the chief historian of the period, Procopius, records that the sacred object commanded a place of prominence in the procession, as it had during the triumph of Titus many years before. Procopius added that Justinian subsequently sent the menorah back to Jerusalem, where by that time few Jews remained. The fate of the menorah after the AD 530s is thus uncertain. The most probable theory is that it was among the objects looted by the Sassanid Persians when they sacked Jerusalem in AD 614. The fact that the Persians carried away the True Cross, another sacred object, supports this theory. However, while the return of the True Cross to the Byzantines following Persia's defeat fifteen years later is well-documented, there is no mention that the menorah was returned. Perhaps it remained in Persia and found a home among one of the underground Jewish communities along the Silk Road, eventually disappearing from existence. It is also possible that the relic did not share the True Cross's fate and eluded capture by the Persians, being hidden away in Jerusalem. This theory is supported by a Jewish legend that on the eve of the Persian sack, the menorah was secreted away by holy men, as was the original menorah on the eve of the Babylonian sack. If discovered today, the menorah of the Second Temple would be among the most important archaeological finds in history.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-titus-as-augustus-ad-79-81-ae-sestertius-34mm-2496-gm-11h-ngc-vg-4-5-3-5/a/61288-95255.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61288-09182022
HID02906262019
© 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Titus, as Augustus (AD 79-81). AE sestertius (34mm, 24.96 gm, 11h). NGC VG 4/5 - 3/5. Uncertain Balkan or Thracian mint, AD 80-81. IMP T CAES DIVI VESP F AVG P M TR P P P COS VIII, laureate head of Titus right / IVDAEA-CAPTA, palm tree; on left, Titus standing right, left foot on globe, spear in right hand, parazonium in left; on right, Judaea seated right on cuirass in attitude of morning; S-C in exergue. RIC II.1 502. RPC -. GBC 5, 1597. Scarce. Attractive earthen patina.
From the Historical Scholar Collection
The famous reverse legend IVDAEA CAPTA refers to the triumph of Titus over the Jewish rebels and the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem the prior year. Six hundred years earlier, the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II and his conquering army had destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem, carrying away the Jewish people as slaves back to Babylon. The Romans chose to leave the subjugated Jewish population in place, a mistake that would come back to haunt them in the Bar Kokhba Revolt 60 years later. But if not steal the Jewish population as the Babylonians had done, what did the Romans loot from Judaea as spoils of war?
Though the Romans had been enraged by the insubordination of the Jews, they held a certain respect for the ancient nature of the Jewish religion and its institutions, part of the reason that Roman authorities permitted Judaism while persecuting newer "cults" like Christianity. When Titus' triumphant forces descended upon the city in August AD 70, they fixated on the Temple, the center of the Jewish faith and therefore of the revolt against Rome. Before destroying the structure, the Roman legionaries looted the sacred relics of the Temple, including the Table of the Sacred Bread, a table of solid gold that held various food and drink that was a type of permanent offering to God. But the greatest prize of all was the gold menorah, which was paraded through the streets of Rome along with the aforementioned Table and the sacred trumpets during Titus' triumph. The whole scene, including the menorah, is featured prominently on the Arch of Titus, which still stands today in Rome.
The tale of the menorah's fate captivates any lover of ancient history. The menorah remained in Rome for several centuries, prized as one of the empire's greatest spoils of war. In AD 455, the Vandals under Gaiseric sailed to Rome from their capital at Carthage and savagely sacked the city, looting much of what had not been touched by the Visigothic sack a half century earlier. Among the treasures carried back to across the Mediterranean was probably the menorah, which remained in Carthage until the armies of Justinian came to reconquer Africa for the Eastern Roman Empire. Justinian's great general Belisarius swiftly defeated the Vandals, reincorporating Africa into the Roman state and returning to Constantinople in AD 534 for a splendid triumph. It is here that the menorah is directly attested: the chief historian of the period, Procopius, records that the sacred object commanded a place of prominence in the procession, as it had during the triumph of Titus many years before. Procopius added that Justinian subsequently sent the menorah back to Jerusalem, where by that time few Jews remained. The fate of the menorah after the AD 530s is thus uncertain. The most probable theory is that it was among the objects looted by the Sassanid Persians when they sacked Jerusalem in AD 614. The fact that the Persians carried away the True Cross, another sacred object, supports this theory. However, while the return of the True Cross to the Byzantines following Persia's defeat fifteen years later is well-documented, there is no mention that the menorah was returned. Perhaps it remained in Persia and found a home among one of the underground Jewish communities along the Silk Road, eventually disappearing from existence. It is also possible that the relic did not share the True Cross's fate and eluded capture by the Persians, being hidden away in Jerusalem. This theory is supported by a Jewish legend that on the eve of the Persian sack, the menorah was secreted away by holy men, as was the original menorah on the eve of the Babylonian sack. If discovered today, the menorah of the Second Temple would be among the most important archaeological finds in history.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/roman-imperial/ancients-titus-as-augustus-ad-79-81-ae-sestertius-34mm-2496-gm-11h-ngc-vg-4-5-3-5/a/61288-95255.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-61288-09182022
HID02906262019
© 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved