Bible Synapse
Judaea Capta coins
Coin · AD 71 – c. 96 · The early church · also called Iudaea Capta coins
See it on the map and timeline
- Date
- AD 71 – c. 96 (the series, struck under Vespasian, Titus and Domitian)
- Found
- Rome and other mints (coin type). Struck in gold, silver and bronze at Rome and elsewhere, and in bronze at Caesarea in Judaea; many examples survive in museum collections.
- Now
- Many collections
- Passages
- Luke 21:20–24, Matthew 24:1–2
What it is
A long series of Roman coins celebrating the crushing of the Jewish revolt and the capture of Jerusalem in AD 70. Many show Judaea as a woman sitting in mourning under a palm tree, often beside a bound captive or the standing emperor, with the words IVDAEA CAPTA, “Judaea captured”. Vespasian began the series in AD 71, and his sons Titus and Domitian continued it.
How it connects to the Bible
In Luke 21 Jesus speaks of Jerusalem “compassed with armies”, its people falling by the sword or carried off as captives, and the city “trodden down of the Gentiles”. These coins are Rome's own record of that defeat, spread across the empire to celebrate the new Flavian emperors' victory.