Vespasian augustus, 69 – 79. Aureus December 69-early 70, AV 18 mm, 7.44 g. IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG Laureate head r. Rev. IVDAEA Jewess seated r., head resting on hand, in attitude of mourning; behind, trophy. C 225. BMC 11. RIC 1. CBN 22. Hendin 6492. Calicó 643. Very rare. A bold portrait struck in high relief, minor marks, otherwise about extremely fineGraded Ch VF, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 2/5 - Brushed, NGC photo certificate number 8237594-001 Ex Rauch sale 118, 2024, 317. Vespasian's greatest triumph was the war in Judaea he waged at the end of Nero's reign. The campaign was difficult and taxing, and though the Roman victory was not complete when Vitellius came to the throne in April 69, neither that nor his great distance from Rome deterred Vespasian from making his bid for power. He entrusted the final leg of the campaign - the siege of Jerusalem - to his eldest son Titus while he joined his ally, the prefect Alexander, in Alexandria, and another of his compatriots, the Syrian governor Mucianus, to lead an army of 20,000 soldiers overland from Syria to Italy. The combination of Vespasian's choke-hold on the Egyptian grain supply and the slowly advancing armies of Mucianus caused panic in Rome. Further complicating matters was a preemptive strike against Vitellius led by a rogue Danubian commander named Primus: he overwhelmed Vitellius, whose forces were defeated in Northern Italy. The armies of Primus soon marched on Rome with the massive army of Mucianus only days behind. Vitellius was overthrown and Mucianus was able to establish Vespasian's authority. Mucianus ousted Primus and his legions, and ruled Rome on Vespasian's behalf until he finally arrived in October, 70 - wholly 15 months after he was hailed emperor by his soldiers. Meanwhile, the gruelling siege of Jerusalem had just ended in September, and Titus returned with spoils in unimaginable quantities. A large part of Vespasian's early coinage, including this rare aureus from his accession year, is devoted to the Judaean victory. Please find here the video of the coin