Publicizing Victory: The Frequency and Audience of Flavian ‘Judaea Capta’ Coins from the Imperial Mints

Abstract

Although the ‘Judaea Capta’ types are today among the most familiar imperial coin types, they
are rare compared with the frequency of other numismatic images that circulated in Roman
antiquity. A viewer in the provinces would seldom encounter the image of ‘Judaea Capta’ on
coins as much as he would see images of Pax, Victoria, or another personification. Examination
of find spots and frequencies of base-metal types that explicitly celebrated Roman victory in
the first Jewish revolt indicates these coins were infrequent and targeted at the city of Rome.
Denarii bearing ‘Judaea Capta’ reverses are also uncommon in hoards.