| Numismatica Ars Classica > Auction 144 with CNG & NGSA | Auction date: 8 May 2024 |
| Lot number: 1047 Price realized: This lot is for sale in an upcoming auction - Bid on this lot  | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: The Geoffrey Cope Collection of Ancient Greek and Roman Bronzes. The Roman Empire. Vespasian augustus, 69 – 79. Description Sestertius, Roma 71, Æ 33 mm, 26.55 g. IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III Laureate head r. Rev. IVDAEA – CAPTA Jewess seated r. on cuirass under palm tree in attitude of mourning; behind palm, Jew standing r., hands tied behind his back; in l. field, shields. In exergue, S C. Reference C 232 BMC 532 RIC 159 CBN 489 Hendin 773 Condition Rare and in exceptional condition for the issue. A superb portrait struck in high relief and a finely detailed reverse type. Wonderful green patina, minor area of weakness on reverse, otherwise good extremely fine Note: Vespasian's greatest military triumph was the war he and his son Titus waged in Judaea at the end of Nero's reign. The campaign was so difficult that the Flavians celebrated its conclusion with triumphal processions, games, a triumphal arch and an uncommonly extensive series of coins. This sestertius is one of the most remarkable examples to have survived, with even the smallest details perfectly preserved. Most impressive is the miniature portrait of Vespasian on the reverse, the engraving of which would have tested the skills of even the most gifted artist. With dual sympathies the chronicler Josephus wrote an in-depth narrative of the Roman campaign in Judaea. We are told of great suffering by both Jews and Romans, though in the final analysis the Jews bore the lion's share of the consequences. The Roman dead numbered in the tens of thousands, and Josephus counts the number of Jewish dead in the millions, with most having succumbed to famine or pestilence. Josephus describes what the Romans encountered when they breached the walls of Jerusalem and began to search the subterranean portion of the city: "So horrible was the stench from the bodies which met the intruders, that many instantly withdrew, but others penetrated further through avarice, trampling over heaps of corpses; for many precious objects were found in these passages" In the aftermath, Josephus reports that the Romans "selected the tallest and most handsome of the youth and reserved each of them for the triumph; of the rest, those over seventeen years of age he sent in chains to the mines in Egypt, while multitudes were presented to Titus in the various provinces, to be destroyed in the theatres by the sword or by wild beasts; those under seventeen were sold." Estimate: 25000 CHF |  |
