Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Electronic Auction 526 2 Nov 2022
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A. Plautius. 55 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.85 g, 1h). Rome mint. Turreted head of Cybele right / Bacchius Judaeus (Aristobulus II, High Priest and King of Judaea) kneeling right, holding reins and offering up olive branch; to left, camel standing right. Crawford 431/1; Sydenham 932; Plautia 13; RBW 1540. Lightly toned, edge scrape, reverse slightly off center. VF.
The enigmatic "Bacchius the Jew" depicted in supplication on the reverse has been plausibly identified by Michael Harlan as the Judaean high priest Aristobulus II, who was deposed by Pompey the Great after his siege of Jerusalem in 63 BC. The moneyer, Aulus Plautius, is known to have been a partisan of Pompey's, and his choice of coin types suggests he served under Pompey in the campaign.
The enigmatic "Bacchius the Jew" depicted in supplication on the reverse has been plausibly identified by Michael Harlan as the Judaean high priest Aristobulus II, who was deposed by Pompey the Great after his siege of Jerusalem in 63 BC. The moneyer, Aulus Plautius, is known to have been a partisan of Pompey's, and his choice of coin types suggests he served under Pompey in the campaign.