Vespasian augustus, 69 – 79. Sestertius 71, Æ 34 mm, 27.13 g. IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P P P COS III Laureate head l. Rev. IVDEA – CAPTA Jewess seated r. on cuirass under palm-tree in attitude of mourning. Behind, palm- tree, Emperor standing r. with l. foot on helmet, holding spear and parazonium; in exergue, S C. C –. BMC –. RIC 169. CBN –. Hendin 6573a. Extremely rare. A very interesting and unusual portrait and a lovely green patina, minor cleaning marks in fields, otherwise very fine / good very fineGraded Ch VF, Strike: 4/4, Surface: 2/5 - smoothing, NGC photo certificate number 6029852-001 Ex Künker sale 334, 2020, 2300. In AD 66, the legions of C. Cestius Gallus, the Roman governor of Syria, were soundly defeated by Jewish rebels at the outbreak of the Jewish War (66–70). In an attempt to crush the revolt, Nero called the experienced commander Vespasian out of retirement to lead the Roman legions in the East. Vespasian arrived at the port city of Ake-Ptolemais with his son Titus, also a trained military leader, in 67. Together, they spent the year crushing the forces of the Zealot rebel faction led by John of Gischala in Galilee. Once Roman control of Galilee was restored, Vespasian took Caesarea Maritima in 68 and began recapturing the coastal cities of Judaea, as well as Samaria, Idumaea, and Peraea, from the Jewish rebels. By this point, it was becoming increasingly clear that the war would end in a Roman victory, but the advance against the rebels was paused after Nero committed suicide on 9 June 68, and the usurpers Galba, Otho, and Vitellius vied with each other for imperial power throughout 69, the Year of the Four Emperors. After a period of confusion, on 1 July 69, the legions under Vespasian’s command proclaimed him Augustus in opposition to Vitellius. At the same time, Titus was hailed as Caesar. Additional support from the Pannonian legions under M. Antonius Primus allowed Vespasian to remove Vitellius and claim Rome before he could physically take the city. Once Rome was taken, Vespasian departed for the Eternal City, leaving the conduct of the Jewish War in the hands of his capable son. Titus spent AD 70 tightening the noose around the Jewish insurgents and, at last, forcing them to endure a horrific siege for almost five months. In the end, the walls were breached, and the city, together with its Temple, was destroyed in an orgy of violence and plunder. In 71, Titus returned to Rome, where he joined his father in a spectacular triumphal procession showcasing the great wealth of money, goods, and slaves seized from the defeated rebels. As part of the triumphal celebrations and to advertise the great victory in the years that followed, Vespasian struck an extensive series of coins with types related to the triumph, commonly known as the Judaea Capta series after the legend that frequently appears on them. This attractive sestertius, which was probably struck for distribution as public largesse during the triumphal celebrations in 71, features the quintessential reverse type of the Judaea Capta series. A date palm tree, symbolic of Judaea, stands in the center while Vespasian stands to the left holding a scepter and parazonium, probably to favorably compare him to Virtus, the Roman personification of valor, who was depicted similarly on coins. The seated female figure to the right of the tree is the personification of Judaea, weeping for her terrible fate at the hands of Vespasian and his son. A remarkable sestertius type struck by Titus in 80-81 and previously sold by NAC (51, 5 March 2009, lot 234) shows that the type of the present sestertius represents a statue group that was later installed in the Colosseum, the great Roman amphitheater whose construction was financed by the plunder carried off at the end of the Jewish War. Missing note Please find here the video of the coin