Bronze Prutah of the Procurator of Judea Antonius Felix - LC.409. Origin: Jerusalem Circa: 52 AD to 60 AD Weight: 2.7 Grams Collection: Jewish Coins Style:  More »

Bronze Prutah of the Procurator of Judea Antonius Felix - LC.409. Origin: Jerusalem Circa: 52 AD to 60 AD Weight: 2.7 Grams Collection: Jewish Coins Style: Judean Medium: Bronze   « Less

Bronze Prutah of the Procurator of Judea Antonius Felix - LC.414. Origin: Jerusalem Circa: 52 AD to 60 AD Weight: 3.2 Grams Collection: Jewish Coins Style:  More »

Bronze Prutah of the Procurator of Judea Antonius Felix - LC.414. Origin: Jerusalem Circa: 52 AD to 60 AD Weight: 3.2 Grams Collection: Jewish Coins Style: Judean Medium: Bronze   « Less

Marcus Ambibulus: Roman knight, governor of Judaea (6-9 CE). According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, Marcus Ambibulus was one of the Roman governors of Judaea.  More »

Marcus Ambibulus: Roman knight, governor of Judaea (6-9 CE). According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, Marcus Ambibulus was one of the Roman governors of Judaea. His tenure of office is usually dated between 6 and 9, although a slightly later date is possible. Although Josephus does not mention Ambibulus' exact titles, we know from an inscription found at Caesarea that one of his successors, Pontius Pilate, was a prefect, so we can assume that Ambibulus was a prefect too. We know hardly anything about the man, although, as a prefect, he must have belonged to the equestrian order - the second class of the Roman elite, after the senators. He was appointed by the emperor Augustus and succeeded Coponius. Josephus writes: Marcus Ambibulus came to be Coponius' successor. During his governorship, Salome, the sister of king Herod, died, and left to Livia Jamnia, all its toparchy, and Phasaelis in the plain, and Arehelais, with a great plantation of palm trees that offers fruit that is excellent in its kind. After Ambibulus came Annius Rufus. [Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 18.31] This is all we know about this Marcus Ambibulus. Probably, he did his job well, because a bad governor would have been faced with rebellion, something that Josephus is always eager to mention. His silence suggests that Ambibulus was a fine administrator. - (LC.415)   « Less

Marcus Ambibulus: Roman knight, governor of Judaea (6-9 CE). According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, Marcus Ambibulus was one of the Roman governors of Judaea.  More »

Marcus Ambibulus: Roman knight, governor of Judaea (6-9 CE). According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, Marcus Ambibulus was one of the Roman governors of Judaea. His tenure of office is usually dated between 6 and 9, although a slightly later date is possible. Although Josephus does not mention Ambibulus' exact titles, we know from an inscription found at Caesarea that one of his successors, Pontius Pilate, was a prefect, so we can assume that Ambibulus was a prefect too. We know hardly anything about the man, although, as a prefect, he must have belonged to the equestrian order - the second class of the Roman elite, after the senators. He was appointed by the emperor Augustus and succeeded Coponius. Josephus writes: Marcus Ambibulus came to be Coponius' successor. During his governorship, Salome, the sister of king Herod, died, and left to Livia Jamnia, all its toparchy, and Phasaelis in the plain, and Arehelais, with a great plantation of palm trees that offers fruit that is excellent in its kind. After Ambibulus came Annius Rufus. [Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 18.31] This is all we know about this Marcus Ambibulus. Probably, he did his job well, because a bad governor would have been faced with rebellion, something that Josephus is always eager to mention. His silence suggests that Ambibulus was a fine administrator. - (LC.420)   « Less

Bronze Prutah of the Procurator of Judea Antonius Felix - LC.419 Origin: Jerusalem Circa: 52 AD to 60 AD Weight: 2.6 Grams Collection: Jewish Coins Style:  More »

Bronze Prutah of the Procurator of Judea Antonius Felix - LC.419 Origin: Jerusalem Circa: 52 AD to 60 AD Weight: 2.6 Grams Collection: Jewish Coins Style: Judean Medium: Bronze   « Less

Bronze Prutah of the Procurator of Judea Antonius Felix - LC.421a. Origin: Jerusalem Circa: 52 AD to 60 AD Weight: 2.4 Grams Collection: Jewish Coins Style:  More »

Bronze Prutah of the Procurator of Judea Antonius Felix - LC.421a. Origin: Jerusalem Circa: 52 AD to 60 AD Weight: 2.4 Grams Collection: Jewish Coins Style: Judean Medium: Bronze   « Less

In 66 A.D., while Nero was Emperor of Rome, the last Roman Procurator Florian was accused of stealing from the Temple. To mock him, protestors took up a collection of coins  More »

In 66 A.D., while Nero was Emperor of Rome, the last Roman Procurator Florian was accused of stealing from the Temple. To mock him, protestors took up a collection of coins for the relief of the "poverty-stricken" Procurator. Showing a rather poor sense of humor, Florian sent troops to put down the disorder. This led to a full-scale rebellion. The Roman troops eventually surrendered, but were killed anyway. By now, the rebellion had grown to a full-scale war. The Jews in Jerusalem started minting their own coins, with victory slogans, such as this Shekel. But there was also fighting among the Jews, as the more extreme elements took control from (and eliminated) the moderate leaders, under whom the rebellion had started. Nero sent his distinguished general, Vespasian, to stamp out the Jewish rebellion. But political troubles at home led Nero to commit suicide, and Vespasian headed back to Rome to claim the Emperorship for himself, leaving his son Titus in charge of the Judaean campaign. Vespasian was ultimately successful in his quest for the throne, and as Titus was also ultimately successful in crushing the Judaean rebellion. As a finishing touch, the Temple where the last of the Jewish rebels in Jerusalem had holed up was burned to the ground in 70 B.C. How many hands have touched a coin in your pocket or your purse? What eras and lands have the coin traversed on its journey into our possession? As we reach into our pockets to pull out some change, we rarely hesitate to think of who touched the coin before us, or where the coin will venture to after us. More than money, coins are a symbol of the state that struck them, of a specific time and place, whether contemporary currencies or artifacts of a long forgotten empire. This stunning hand-struck coin reveals an expertise of craftsmanship and intricate sculptural details that are often lacking in contemporary machine-made currencies. Depicted on the reverse, the pomegranate was one of the seven celebrated products of Palestine and among the fruits that brought to the temple as offerings of the first-fruits. Two hundred pomegranates decorated each of the two columns in the temple and were an integral part of the sacred vestment of the High Priest, as bells and pomegranates were suspended from his mantle. The struggle of the Jewish people to rule their homeland, as represented by this coin, has finally come to an end in modern times. This coin reconnects us with the past, with those who fought and struggled for their freedom against an oppressive empire almost two thousand year ago. - (C.0437)   « Less

The Jewish War, year four, 69/70 CE, Obverse: Chalice with pearl rim, legend reading For The Redemption of Zion, Reverse: Lulav flanked by Etrog on either side, legend  More »

The Jewish War, year four, 69/70 CE, Obverse: Chalice with pearl rim, legend reading For The Redemption of Zion, Reverse: Lulav flanked by Etrog on either side, legend reading Year Four. - (c.0442)   « Less

The Jewish War, year four, 69/70 CE, Obverse: Chalice with pearl rim, legend reading For The Redemption of Zion, Reverse: Lulav flanked by Etrog on either side, legend  More »

The Jewish War, year four, 69/70 CE, Obverse: Chalice with pearl rim, legend reading For The Redemption of Zion, Reverse: Lulav flanked by Etrog on either side, legend reading Year Four. - (C.0450)   « Less

The Jewish War, year four, 69/70 CE, Obverse: Chalice with pearl rim, legend reading For The Redemption of Zion, Reverse: Lulav flanked by Etrog on either side, legend  More »

The Jewish War, year four, 69/70 CE, Obverse: Chalice with pearl rim, legend reading For The Redemption of Zion, Reverse: Lulav flanked by Etrog on either side, legend reading Year Four. - (C.570)   « Less