Judaea Capta Coins
Roman coins celebrating the conquest of Judea with a weeping woman under a palm tree
Found 1800 — Known from collections since the Renaissance; countless examples excavated across the empire and in Israel
Where Empire-wide; minted at Rome, Lyon, Caesarea and elsewhere (Various)
Dates from 71–96 CE · Roman Imperial (Flavian) · Aftermath of the Temple's destruction
Now at Major examples at the British Museum, the Israel Museum, and the American Numismatic Society; widely held
How Judaea Capta Coins was found
Struck in Rome and provincial mints in gold, silver and bronze under Vespasian, Titus and Domitian, and found in hoards and excavations from Britain to Judea. Examples surface regularly in Israeli digs, including at Jerusalem.
What it is
Coins showing the emperor on one side and on the other a bound Jewish captive and a mourning woman seated beneath a date palm, with the legend IVDAEA CAPTA ('Judea captured') or IVDAEA DEVICTA. Sestertii of Vespasian are the best-known type; a Greek-legend version was minted at Caesarea.
Why it matters for the Bible
These coins were Rome's propaganda for the war that ended in the Temple's destruction, circulated across the empire for 25 years. Their image of a woman weeping under a palm echoes Lamentations and Isaiah 3:26, 'she shall sit on the ground'. They are physical proof of how Rome saw the event Yeshua predicted and the early believers lived through.
The Hebrew word: she-VEE
שְׁבִי
שְׁבִי is pronounced she-VEE and means captivity, captives (Strong's H7628).
Places
- Judea — יְהוּדָה (Ye-hoo-DAH) — praise; Latin Iudaea
Events
First Jewish Revolt (66–73 CE) · Destruction of Jerusalem
Judaea Capta Coins in Scripture
Isaiah 3:26 'She shall sit desolate on the ground' — the coin's mourning woman uncannily matches this image of Zion.
Ezra 5:8 First mention of Judaea in Scripture.
Luke 21:24 Jerusalem 'trampled by the Gentiles' and captives led away — what the coin celebrates.
Questions people ask
What is Judaea Capta Coins?
Coins showing the emperor on one side and on the other a bound Jewish captive and a mourning woman seated beneath a date palm, with the legend IVDAEA CAPTA ('Judea captured') or IVDAEA DEVICTA. Sestertii of Vespasian are the best-known type; a Greek-legend version was minted at Caesarea.
When was Judaea Capta Coins discovered?
It was found in 1800 by Known from collections since the Renaissance; countless examples excavated across the empire and in Israel, at Empire-wide; minted at Rome, Lyon, Caesarea and elsewhere.
Where is Judaea Capta Coins today?
Major examples at the British Museum, the Israel Museum, and the American Numismatic Society; widely held.
Which Bible verses does Judaea Capta Coins relate to?
Isaiah 3:26, Ezra 5:8, Luke 21:24.
Related discoveries
- חֻרְבָּןHerodian Street and the 70 CE CollapseThe paved market street beneath the Western Wall, still buried under stones thrown down by Titus' soldiers
- צֶלֶםTribute Penny (Denarius of Tiberius)'Whose image is this?' — the silver denarius with Caesar's portrait
- מַטְבֵּעַCoins of Pontius PilateSmall bronzes with Roman priestly symbols, minted in Jerusalem under Pilate in 29–31 CE
- שֶׁקֶלTyrian Shekel (Temple Tax Coin)The silver coin required for the half-shekel Temple tax — and the likely 'thirty pieces of silver'
- פְּרוּטָהThe Widow's Mite (Bronze Prutah / Lepton)The smallest coins in circulation — Hasmonean and Herodian bronze leptons
- טֶטְרַרְךְCoins of Herod Antipas and Herod Agrippa IBronze coins of the Gospel-era Herods — Tiberias palms and Agrippa's canopy
Sources
- Hendin, Guide to Biblical Coins (5th ed., 2010)
- Wikipedia: Judaea Capta coinage