Description
Roman Republic, Aulus Plautius, as moneyer and aedīlis curūlis, Silver Denarius (3.80g, 17mm), Commemorative issue – Megalesia celebrations and the Judaean conquests of Pompey, Rome mint 55 BC. Obverse: Turreted head of Cybele (Magna māter) facing to the right, moneyer’s name “A PLAVTIVS” downward to right, “[A]ED· CVR· S·C” downward to left. Reverse: Bacchius Judaeus (Aristobulus II, High Priest and King of Judaea) kneeling to the right, holding reins in left hand and offering up olive branch with right, camel stands to the right by his side, “BACCHIVS” below, “IVDAEVS” upward to right. Crawford-431/1; Sydenham-932. An attractive piece of A. Plautius, struck in 55 BC during his time as Republican Moneyer and as one of the two aedīlēs curūlis, an office in charge of infrastructure and the organization of events, worn over high points, the reverse quite choice and well centred, lightly toned, a nice piece, Very Fine, moderately scarce.
The interesting ‘Bacchius the Jew’ commemorative denarius of Aulus Plautius, a Republican moneyer as well as the aedīlis curūlis at the time. Much numismatic research has been done on this issue, foremost the identification of ‘Bacchius’ on the reverse – M. Harlan speculates the figure as Aristobulus II of the Hasmonean dynasty who became the sole King and High Priest of Judaea between 66-63 BC after his rebellion and overthrowing of his elder brother, Hyrcanus II. Although the civil war ended on peaceful terms, Hyrcanus eventually fled to the refuge of King Aretas III of Nabataea, who in-turn marched on Jerusalem and sieged the city for several months. As allies of the Roman Republic, the Hasmonean’s sought the intervention of the Roman Republic, who at the time were conquering much of Anatolia under the command of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, first with the defeat of King Mithridates VI of Pontus and then the annexation of the Seleucid Kingdom as Roman Syria. Each brother bid for the aid of the Pompeian commander Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, who decided in favour of the larger gift of 400 talents of silver by Aristobulus – this decision would be inconsequential, however, as when Pompey arrived in Judaea, he preferred Hyrcanus, deeming the elder, weaker of the two as a more reliable ally that Rome could control. The Jewish armies were defeated several times and Aristobulus was captured in 63 BC – although promising to deliver Jerusalem with his surrender, the Judaean forces inside the city refused to open the gates, resulting in a siege and capture by force, badly damaging much of the city’s architecture. Although occurring 8 years prior to its minting, this siege, as well as Aristobulus’ surrendering, is likely the subject of the reverse of this commemorative denarius, showing ‘Bacchius the Jew’, or Aristobulus II, kneeling in defeat.
The obverse of this denarius appears to commemorate a different subject matter. Foremost, the legend notes Aulus Plautius’ position as aedīlis curūlis, a Republican elected office in charge of infrastructure and the organization of events, as well as his role as an official moneyer, showing this monetary piece had the decree of the Senate (senātus cōnsultum). The central figure, the turreted head of Cybele, is a direct commemoration of the Megalensia of 55 BC, a festival celebrated in Ancient Rome from April 4 to April 10, in honour of Cybele, known to the Romans as Magna māter (great mother) – an event in which which the aedīlis curūlis would have been responsible for.