Military Helmet or Dioscuri Motif on Herod the Great’s Largest Coin?

Abstract

The disputed question of the motif on the obverse of Herod’s largest coin is revisited.
There is now general agreement that this motif includes some form of headgear. The various
earlier suggestions are examined. The use of pagan symbols on several of Herod’s
coins is considered in the context of what we know about Herod’s religious orientation
and this issue seems to point toward the meaning of the coin motif.