“Judaea Capta” Tessera

Triton XX, Lot: 693. Estimate $300. Sold for $550. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

temp. Vespasian–Domitian. AD 69-96. PB Tessera (17mm, 2.56 g, 12h). “Judaea Capta” type. Victory standing right, foot on helmet, inscribing shield set on palm tree / Apex (flamen’s hat) facing; palm frond to left. M. & B. Overbeck, “Romische Bleimarken als Zeugnis des Ersten Jüdischen Krieges,” in Helas und der Grechen Osten, p. 211-216, 1; Hendin –; Rostowzew 1840 (pl. VII, 37). Good VF, light earthen highlights, slightly wavy. Exceptional for issue. Very rare.

Ex Classical Numismatic Group 55 (13 September 2000), lot 1201 (part of).

This important tessera belongs to the series originating in city of Rome and her outlying suburbs. Beginning with some types related to the late Julio-Claudian dynasty and continuing perhaps as late as the mid-3rd century, these leads are readily distinguished from those found elsewhere in the Empire on the basis of their cast manufacture. The types present a dizzying variety, ranging from official-seeming triumphal and Imperial portraits to an array of local and foreign deities, games-related images, and other scenes. In general, the images used on the tesserae do not copy coins, with the present example a notable exception. The function of these leads remains poorly understood, with suggested uses including entrance tickets, grain distribution tokens, and small denomination currency. This cataloger prefers the later interpretation, and would contend that, as such a wide variety of types share such similar physical characteristics, attempting to interpret their role based solely on their imagery is unwise, and any function must take into account all pieces of the same fabric.

Only a handful of the more than 2000 types known for this series of tesserae can be tied to the Judaea Capta issues. These include two bearing a portrait of Vespasian on the obverse and a palm tree on the reverse, one with the legend IVDE and a palm, and one with Victory inscribing a shield set on a palm and palm tree with T L flanking, as well as the present type (M. & B. Overbeck, “Romische Bleimarken als Zeugnis des Ersten Jüdischen Krieges,” in Helas und der Grechen Osten, pl. 9, 17-24). Additional Flavian portrait or triumphal types may be related as well, but cannot be confirmed. The identification of the palm tree on these pieces as emblematic of the Judaea Capta triumph is evident, and the Victory obverse on the present example has numerous parallels in the official coinage (Rome: RIC II 217-8; Roman Judaea: Hendin 1445; Herodian Judaea: 1285; Pella: Spijkerman 3). The reverse type – a flamen’s apex – has no clear parallels, though the hat does appear among other objects on the reverse of Julius Caesar’s famous elephant denarii (see Crawford 443/1). Considering the types and possible functions, it is tempting to imagine this piece being thrown to the adoring crowds along the route of Vespasian’s triumph, as relics captured from Jerusalem parade past.