Judaea Capta

Judaea Capta coinage was a series of commemorative coins originally issued by Vespasian to celebrate the capture of Judaea. Coins inscribed Ivdaea Capta (Judea Captured) were issued throughout the Empire. Issued by Roman Emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian to celebrate the victory over the Jewish revolt and the destruction of Jerusalem's Second Temple in 70 CE, they were struck for 25 years in gold, silver, and bronze.

The Great Revolt between the Romans and the Jews in 63 CE occured when Roman governor Gessius Florus looted the Second Temple. After the capture of Jerusalem, the last rebels committed suicide at Masada. In 69 CE, Galba, the governor of Hispania (Spain), rebelled against Nero and Rome saw the 'year of 4 emperors'. Vespasian levied the punitive Fiscus Judaicus tax against all five million of his Jewish subjects.

Vespasian. AU Aureus (7.05 g), AD 69-79. ‘Judaea Capta’ type.

Vespasian then began striking vast numbers of Judaea Capta coins in all denominations. One element of the Judaea Capta imagery is a group of military trophies. Captured weapons and armor hung from a tree or post represents a military victory over the defeated enemy.

The First Jewish Revolt (66–73/74 CE), was the first of three major rebellions by the Jews of Judaea Province against the Roman Empire.

An extremely rare shekel produced in Year 4 plus the ultimate rarity–a Year 5 shekel. The Second Revolt was circa 132-135 CE.

Very rare Judaea Capta type gold aureus features a Roman trophy with the inscription DE IVDAEIS (Latin - "concerning the Jews") Extremely rare hybrid features the strange legend IVDAEA AUGUST.

Titus, AD 79-81. Gold Aureus. A true rarity, the date is early in AD 70, which places it before or during the siege of Jerusalem (May-September 70). Roman Emperor Galba ruled for eight months from AD 68 to 69

Ancient Gold in Kazakhstan - 'Golden Man' of Saka

The discovery from the 'Yeleke Sazy' burial mound in 2020 was that of a 17-to-18-year-old noble, dressed in gold. The finds date to the 7th or 8th century BC. The garments and boots of the young man were embroidered with gold beads. There was a 1 kg gold torc on his neck.

He had a golden dagger and a golden quiver.

In ancient Persian sources, ‘Saka’ is used interchangeably with ‘Scythians’, although ‘Saka’ is generally attributed to the easternmost peoples.

The finds are from the Tarbagatai district of East Kazakhstan. The discovered gold bears evidence of cutting-edge technology. The finds suggest that people of that time had developed metallurgical expertise; mining, ore concentration, and smelting.

Discovered in the burial of Alike Sazy were arrow tips made of bronze. The artifacts are extremely well preserved and still remain sharp. These arrows were likely used for ritual purposes or as grave goods.

Grave of princess of Ukok

The Princess of Ukok

Lorica Segmentata - Roman Plate Armour

The best preserved Lorica Segmentata, Roman Plate Armour, resides at the Corbridge Roman Site Museum, Hadrian's Wall, Northumberland. It probably dates 122 AD to 138 AD. The Corbridge Roman Site was a key supply base along Hadrian's Wall.

The armor is made from overlapping iron plates, fastened with leather straps and bronze fittings, designed to distribute weight across the torso while allowing flexibility. A full set typically weighed around 10 kg, lighter than contemporary mail armors while providing strong protection against slashing attacks. This type of armor was used by Roman legionaries from the 1st to early 3rd Century AD, before gradually being replaced by other forms (lorica hamata). The Corbridge hoard was uncovered in 1964 inside a wooden chest, where corrosion had fused pieces together, preserving their arrangement and enabling one of the most accurate reconstructions of Roman armor ever achieved.

Helmet of Cotofenesti - recovered

Dutch authorities showed off the recovered Helmet of Cotofenesti, a priceless 2,500-year-old electrum helmet from Romania that was stolen in 2025. Two of three gold bracelets were also recovered.

The Helmet of Coțofenești is a Geto-Dacian helmet made of electrum dating from the second half of the 5th century BC. It was discovered in the Romanian village of Coțofenești in 1926. It was stolen in 2025 during a robbery at the Drents Museum in Assen, the Netherlands, where it was being displayed. Weighing almost a kilo, the helmet is well preserved, missing only part of its skull cap. The helmet is decorated with studs on the top of the skull and two large apotropaic eyes, meant to ward off the evil eye and magic spells. It belonged to a local Geto-Dacian king or aristocrat, from around 450 BC. The cheek-pieces show a ram being sacrificed by a man about to cut its throat.

The thieves also made off with three gold bracelets, dating from around 50 BC. The items were part of an exhibition about the Dacians, a people that occupied much of present-day Romania before being conquered by the Romans. “Dacia: Empire of Gold and Silver” featured priceless treasures borrowed from institutions across Romania. The door to the museum was forced open with explosives. There were no guards. Three have been arrested but the artifacts have not been recovered.

"Ides of March" Coins

Brutus issued a silver denarius celebrating the assassination of Caesar on the Ides of March (March 15). The denarius has a portrait of Brutus on the obverse, with on the reverse a liberty cap flanked by two daggers over the inscription EID(ibus) MAR(tiis). The liberty cap was the garment given to a manumitted slave to indicate his free status, so the reverse side symbolizes Brutus and Cassius liberating Rome with their daggers. There are about 60 known copies of the silver denarius. A superb example made $332k in a 2016 auction. Silver specimens in extremely fine condition have sold at auction for $120k. Low grade silver examples will make $50k.

An ‘Ides of March’ aureus is one of three known examples. It was purportedly discovered in a private European collection. The coin is in mint condition and has been described as “the undisputed masterpiece of ancient coinage.” It made $3.5m. It was later revealed it's providance was fake and the coin was stolen. It was repatriated to Greece.

In October of 42 B.C., months after the coins were struck, Brutus and Cassius were routed by Marc Anthony and Octavian’s forces and died in the Battles of Philippi. Their coins were outlawed and very few survived.

The famous 'Eid Mar' aureus on loan to the British Museum for the past decade was offered for sale. It sold at auction in Zurich for £1.5 million (US$2m). The coin was minted by Marcus Junius Brutus to commemorate the assassination of Ceasar. The coin shows an inscription that reads “EID MAR” short for Eidibus Martiis, the Ides of March, along with two daggers and a liberty cap symbolizing freedom. The other side of the coin features a portrait of Brutus with the inscription “BRVT IMP” or Brutus, Imperator.

The coin has a hole. It is believed that it could only have been worn by a senior supporter and perhaps even one of the conspirators of Caesar’s murder.

Gladiators - Heroes of the Colosseum

An exhibition at the Archaeological Museum Hamburg, "Gladiators - Heroes of the Colosseum" examined the lives of gladiators. The first documented gladiator fights took place in Rome in 264 BC. Descendants of a deceased citizen had three pairs of slaves compete against each other in the honor of the departed. Typically, the fight would happen in a marketplace. These private battles of nobility became increasingly popular among citizens of ancient Rome. Under Augustus (63 BC - 14 AD), games were allowed only during a few specific days of the year.

Gladiators were not always prisoners or slaves. Gladiator schools (ludi - singular: ludus) ensured a supply of highly trained fighters. Many free Roman citizens also joined for fame, money, and glory. The games offered a chance for the most successful warriors to earn redemption, wealth and freedom. The typical schedule of a fight day started around noon, with executions of criminals sentenced to death. Afterward, circus acts would sometimes take the stage. After a few additional fights, the gladiators were presented as the main act. Women also fought against each other. This was officially banned in the year 200.

A gladiator was most often a slave, socially marginalized, and segregated even in death. Gladiatorial combat rapidly became an essential feature of social life in the Roman world. Its popularity led to ever more lavish and costly games. The games lasted for nearly a thousand years, peaking between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD. The games declined during the early 5th century after the adoption of Christianity.

The average age of those killed in the arena was around 28. Few gladiators survived more than ten matches.

The person who presided over the games was called the editor. He could be the emperor, a senator, or other political figure and made the final decision about the fate of the gladiators in the arena. To make sure the loser wasn’t pretending to be dead, an attendant dressed as Mercury would touch him with a hot iron wand. If they were still alive, another attendant, dressed as Charon, would kill him with a mallet.

If a gladiator repeatedly survived the arena and lived long enough to retire, they were given a symbolic wooden training sword, or rudis, as a token of their freedom. Even when they had won their freedom, the lucrative life of the gladiator still appealed: rudiarii were gladiators who had won their freedom but chose to remain fighting in the arena.

Gladius, an early ancient Roman sword

There were many types of gladiators and each had different weapons. It was usual to pair off combatants with widely different, but more or less equivalent, equipment. Studies have shown that gladiators fought to strict rules and barefooted. During combat musicians performed and altered tempo to match that of the combat. From left, a disarmed and surrendering retiarius and his secutor opponent, a thraex and murmillo, a hoplhus and murmillo (who is signalling his surrender), and the referee.

Roman Gladiator Dagger

Four-pointed dagger

Roman soldiers were taught to deploy the gladius horizontally, piercing the enemy's ribs and penetrating vital organs.

Roman iron gladiator trident.

Gladiator Arm Guard

Greaves and dagger discovered at Pompeii's gladiator barracks.

Helmet of a murmillo.