jan 1, 71 - Vespasian Holds Triumph for Titus Victory over Jerusalem

Description:

According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, Vespasian was “to conduct the war in Judaea, which was threatening general commotion throughout the East, owing to a widely spread notion in those parts that from Judaea were to come the future rulers of the world. Vespasian, who had a strong vein of superstition, was made to believe that he was himself to fulfil this expectation.” The historian Josephus vividly recounts the resulting battles. After Vespasian became emperor in 69 C.E., his son Titus carried on the war, even besieging Jerusalem. Starvation and terror plagued those trapped inside. When the city fell, its walls were torn down and its temple destroyed.

What was the human cost to those who had ignored Jesus’ warning? “For half-starved men they defended their stronghold with amazing tenacity, losing over a hundred thousand of their members in the process. Nearly as many again, having been compelled to witness the agonizing sight of the burning, looting, and total destruction of their sacred temple, were taken in slavery, many of them being forced . . . to serve as doomed gladiators or as helpless quarries for wild beasts in the spectacular ‘sports’ which the triumphant Titus staged.”​—Coins of Bible Days.

This book explains that in 71 C.E., Vespasian and Titus marched triumphantly through Rome to celebrate this victory. But “more enduring than any parades or festivals were the numerous ‘victory’ coins.”

Coin: A bronze sestertius struck by Emperor Vespasian to commemorate the conquest of Judea. The Latin abbreviations around his portrait are IMP[erator] (Emperor) CAES[ar] VESPASIAN[us] AVG[ustus] P[ontifex] M[aximus] (high priest) TR[ibunicia] P[otestate] (holder of the tribune’s power) P[ater] P[atriae] (father of the fatherland) CO[n]S[ul] III (in his third consulship), which dates the coin to 71 C.E.

Back of Coin: Emperor Vespasian (or General Titus) in armor, holding a spear and a dagger, his foot resting on a helmet. To the right is a Jewess seated on a breastplate under a date palm; she is in mourning and weeping. The words IVDAEA CAPTA mean “Captive Judea.” This coin was minted S[enatus] C[onsulto], “with the consent of the Senate”

Added to timeline:

Date:

Images: