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Auction: 23007 - Ancient Coins Including the 'Kyrios' Collection of Greek Coins and featuring the 'Ostorius' Collection of Roman Gold
Lot: 196

NGC Ch VF | Roman Empire, Titus (AD 79-81), AE Sestertius, T CAES VESPASIAN IMP PON TR POT COS II laureate head right, rev. IVDEA CAPTA, palm tree, to the left, Titus standing right in military dress, holding spear and paramozium, his left foot resting upon a helmet, to the right, a captive Judaea seated right in attitude of mourning, 26.94g (RIC 422; BMC 631; Cohen 113; Hendin 1523), lovely patina and an impressive portrait, slight softening to legend but otherwise good very fine

PROVENANCE

Baldwin's, M&M and Dmitry Markov, New York Sale XXVIII, 5 January 2012, lot 1064 [unsold]

Spink 25, 24-25 November 1982, lot 197



In AD 71, fresh from completing the siege of Jerusalem, Titus rode in a triumphal procession across the pomerium and up the via sacra before climbing the Capitoline and completing the customary propitiations to the gods. There had not been a proper triumph in Rome for at least a generation. Augustus excluded individuals from triumphing outside the imperial family owing to the potential political threat. There were of course triumphs in the early principate - Claudius became a triumphator following the capture of Britian, however everybody really knew that the job was carried out by Aulus Plautius and Claudius had barely spent two weeks on the island.


This could not be said of Titus, who conducted the siege of Jerusalem personally and brutally reduced the city. The spoils carried in the procession were reminiscent of the great triumphs of the republic. The scale of the spoils was even immortalised on the arch dedicated to Titus on the edge of the forum - an internal panel famously features Roman soldiers carrying spoils from the temple including the menorah.


Such a conquest for the fledgling Flavian dynasty was a godsend. The civil war in which Vespasian secured power could be long forgotten, this was a triumph over a foreign enemy which put them alongside the heroes of the republic. Naturally, the capitalised on this as much as possible. JUDEA CAPTA legends featured on Flavian coinage for 25 years in 48 types right into the reign of Domitian.

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Estimate
£6,000 to £8,000

Starting price
£5500