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Sestertius - Vespasian IVDEA CAPTA S C, Judaea
| Issuer | Roman Imperial Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 71 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Laureate head of Vespasian facing right, rendered in robust portraiture characteristic of Flavian imperial coinage. The emperor's features are depicted with naturalistic detail, including a prominent brow, strong jaw, and closely cropped hair beneath the laurel wreath. The encircling legend runs along the outer border of the obverse field in Latin capitals. The portrait style reflects the authoritative and martial character associated with Flavian dynastic imagery. |
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| Obverse lettering | IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III (Translation: Imperator Caesar Vespasianus Augustus Pontifex Maximus, Tribunicia Potestate, Pater Patriae, Consul Tertium. Supreme commander (Imperator) Caesar Vespasian, emperor (Augustus), high priest, holder of tribunician power, father of the nation, consul for the third time.) |
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| Additional information |
Issued to celebrate the Roman suppression of the Jewish revolt, this is one of the most explicitly propagandistic coin types of the Flavian dynasty. Vespasian needed the Jewish War — politically, it was the foundation of his legitimacy. He had been a general of middling political status before Nero sent him east in 67 AD; the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD transformed him into a conqueror. The IVDAEA CAPTA series was struck across multiple denominations and mints almost immediately after Titus took the city.
RIC II.1 #168 is the sestertius attribution under the revised Flavian numbering. The orichalcum fabric on well-preserved examples retains a distinctly brassy surface quite different from later debased bronze issues.