Domitian - Roman Caesar: 69-81 A.D. Emperor : 81-96 A.D. -
JUDAEA CAPTA TYPE
Bronze 19mm (4.62 grams) Caesarea Paneas in Judaea mint: 83/84 A.D.
under Herod Agrippa II
Reference: Hendin 1317 (5th Edition)
ΔΟΜΕΤ ΚΑΙ ΓΕΡΜΑΝ, Laureate head right.
ΕΤΟ ΚΔ ΒΑ ΑΓΡΙΠΠΑ, Nike ( Victory ) standing right, left foot on helmet, writing on a shield which rests on her left knee.

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Judaea Capta coins (also spelled Judea Capta) were a series of commemorative coins originally issued by the Roman Emperor Vespasian to celebrate the capture of Judaea and the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem by his son Titus in 70 AD during the First Jewish Revolt . There are several variants of the coinage. The reverse of the coins shows a Jewish female (representing Judaea) seated right in an attitude of mourning at the base of a palm tree, with either a captive Jewish male standing right, with his hands bound behind his back, or the standing figure of the victorious emperor, or the goddess Victory, with a trophy of weapons, shields, and helmets to the left.

The female figure may reflect the prophecy of Isaiah 3:8, 25-26: "For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen ... Thy men shall fall by the sword and thy mighty in the war. And her gates shall lament and mourn, and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground".

The Judaea Capta coins were struck for 25 years under Vespasian and his two sons who succeeded him as Emperor - Titus and Domitian . These commemorative coins were issued in bronze, silver and gold by mints in Rome, throughout the Roman Empire , and in Judaea itself. They were issued in every denomination, and at least 48 different types are known.

Only bronze 'Judaea Capta' coins were struck in Caesarea , in the defeated Roman province of Judea . These coins are much cruder than the Roman issues, and the inscriptions are in Greek rather than Latin . The designs feature the Goddess Nike writing on a shield, Minerva with a spear, shield, trophy and palm tree, etc. Most such coins were issued during the reign of the Emperor Domitian (81-96 AD).

Unusually, a 'Judaea Capta' coin was also minted by the Jewish ruler Agrippa II , the great-grandson of Herod the Great . Brought up in Rome at the court of Claudius , Agrippa was thoroughly Romanised and was a close friend of Titus , whom he supported throughout the First Jewish Revolt . His bronze coin was minted at Tiberias and shows a portrait of Titus on the obverse with the Greek inscription 'ΚΑΙΣΑΡ ΣΕΒΑΣ ΑΥΤΟΚΡ ΤΙΤΟΣ', while the reverse depicted the goddess Nike advancing right holding a wreath and palm branch over her shoulder, with a star in upper right field and the inscription 'ETO - KS BA AGRI-PPA'.

Herod Agrippa II (born AD 27/28), officially named Marcus Julius Agrippa and sometimes just called Agrippa, was the seventh and last king of the family of Herod the Great , the Herodians . He was the son of the first and better-known Herod Agrippa , the brother of Berenice , Mariamne, and Drusilla (second wife of the Roman procurator Antonius Felix ).

Life

Herod Agrippa II was educated at the court of the emperor Claudius , and at the time of his father's death was only seventeen years old. Claudius therefore kept him at Rome, and sent Cuspius Fadus as procurator of the Roman province of Judaea . While at Rome, he voiced his support for the Jews to Claudius, and against the Samaritans and the procurator of Iudaea Province , Ventidius Cumanus , who was lately thought to have been the cause of some disturbances there. On the death of Herod of Chalcis in 48, his small Syrian kingdom of Chalcis was given to Herod Agrippa, with the right of superintending the Temple in Jerusalem and appointing its high priest. In 53, he was made king over the territories previously governed by Philip and Lysanias by Claudius, surrendering Chalcis to his cousin, Aristobulus . Herod Agrippa celebrated by marrying off his two sisters Mariamne and Drusilla . Flavius Josephus , the Jewish historian, repeats the gossip that Herod Agrippa lived in an incestuous relationship with his sister, Berenice .

In 55, Nero added to his realm the cities of Tiberias and Taricheae in Galilee , and Livias (Iulias), with fourteen villages near it, in Peraea . Agrippa expended large sums in beautifying Jerusalem and other cities, especially Berytus . His partiality for the latter rendered him unpopular amongst his own subjects, and the capricious manner in which he appointed and deposed the high priests made him disliked by the Jews. Agrippa failed to prevent his subjects from rebelling, and urged instead that they tolerate the behavior of the Roman procurator Gessius Florus . But in 66 the Jews expelled him and Berenice from the city. During the First Jewish-Roman War of 66–73, he sent 2,000 men, archers and cavalry, to support Vespasian , showing that, although a Jew in religion, he was entirely devoted to the Roman Empire . He accompanied Titus on some campaigns, and was wounded at the siege of Gamla . After the capture of Jerusalem, he went with his sister Berenice to Rome, where he was invested with the dignity of praetor and rewarded with additional territory.

 

According to Photius , Agrippa died, childless, at the age of seventy, in the third year of the reign of Trajan , that is, 100, but statements of historian Josephus , in addition to the contemporary epigraphy from his kingdom, cast this date into serious doubt. The modern scholarly consensus holds that he died before 93/94. He was the last prince of the house of the Herods.

It was before him and his sister Berenice that, according to the New Testament , Paul the Apostle pleaded his case at Caesarea Maritima , possibly in 59.

He had a great intimacy with the historian Josephus, having supplied him with information for his history, Antiquities of the Jews . Josephus preserved two of the letters he received from him.

Titus Flavius Domitianus (24 October 51 – 18 September 96), known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 14 September 81 until his death. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty , the house which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96 and encompassed the reigns of Domitian's father Vespasian (69–79), his older brother Titus (79–81), and that of Domitian himself.

Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War . This situation continued under the rule of Vespasian, who became emperor on 21 December 69 following the civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors . While Titus effectually reigned as co-emperor with his father, Domitian was left with honours but no responsibilities. Vespasian died on 23 June 79 and was succeeded by Titus, whose own reign came to an unexpected end when he was struck by a fatal illness on 13 September 81. The following day Domitian was declared emperor by the Praetorian Guard , commencing a reign which lasted fifteen years—longer than any man who had governed Rome since Tiberius .

As emperor, Domitian strengthened the economy by revaluing the Roman coinage , expanded the border defenses of the Empire, and initiated a massive building programme to restore the damaged city of Rome . Significant wars were fought in Britain, where Gnaeus Julius Agricola expanded the Roman Empire as far as modern day Scotland , and in Dacia , where Domitian was unable to procure a decisive victory against king Decebalus . Domitian's government nonetheless exhibited totalitarian characteristics. As emperor, he saw himself as the new Augustus , an enlightened despot destined to guide the Roman Empire into a new era of Flavian renaissance. Religious, military, and cultural propaganda fostered a cult of personality , and by nominating himself perpetual censor , he sought to control public and private morals. As a consequence, Domitian was popular with the people and the army but despised by members of the Roman Senate as a tyrant.

Domitian's reign came to an end on 18 September 96 when he was assassinated by court officials. The same day he was succeeded by his friend and advisor Nerva , who founded the long-lasting Nerva-Antonine dynasty . After his death, Domitian's memory was condemned to oblivion by the Roman Senate, while senatorial authors such as Tacitus , Pliny the Younger and Suetonius published histories propagating the view of Domitian as a cruel and paranoid tyrant. Modern history has rejected these views, instead characterising Domitian as a ruthless but efficient autocrat, whose cultural, economic and political programme provided the foundation of the peaceful 2nd century.

Domitia Longina (b. 53 – c. 130) was an Empress and wife to the Roman Emperor Domitian . She was the youngest daughter of the general and consul Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo . Domitia divorced her first husband Lucius Aelius Lamia in order to marry Domitian in 71. The marriage produced only one son, whose early death is believed to have been the cause of temporary rift between Domitia and her husband in 83. She became Empress of Rome upon Domitian's accession in 81, and remained so until his assassination in 96. She is believed to have died sometime between 126 and 130.

 Family

Domitia Longina was born sometime between 50 and 55, as the youngest daughter to the family of Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo and Cassia Longina.^[1] Through her mother (a great-great-great granddaughter of Augustus), Domitia Longina was a direct descendant of Augustus Caesar and one of the last remaining members of the Julian lineage. Her paternal aunt was Milonia Caesonia , Roman Empress to Caligula. Her elder sister, Domitia Corbula , married the senator Lucius Annius Vinicianus. Domitia's father Corbulo had been one of Rome's most respected Senators and generals, serving as consul under Caligula, and conducting military campaigns in Germania and Parthia under Claudius and Nero .^[1] Following the failed Pisonian conspiracy against Emperor Nero in 65 however, Corbulo was disgraced when his family was brought in connection to the conspirators. Corbulo himself was forced to commit suicide, while Annius Vicinianus and his brother Annius Pollio, were executed in the ensueing purges.^[2]

Little is known about the life of Domitia before her marriage to Domitian, but sometime before 70, Domitia was married to Lucius Aelius Plautius Lamia Aelianus , a man of senatorial rank.^[3]

 Marriage to Domitian

 Reign of Vespasian and Titus

The Triumph of Titus, by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1885). The composition alludes to the rumoured love affair between Titus (back left) and Domitia Longina (left, next to Domitian).^[4]

Following Nero's suicide on June 9, 68, the Roman Empire plunged into a year long civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors , which saw the successive rise and fall of the Emperors Galba, Otho and Vitellius. The crisis came to an end with the accession of Vespasian, who re-established peace in the Empire and founded the short-lived Flavian dynasty. In 71, Vespasian attempted to arrange a dynastic marriage between his youngest son Domitian, and the daughter of his eldest son Titus, Julia Flavia.^[5] By this time however, Domitian had already met and fallen in love with Domitia Longina, and managed to persuade Lamia to divorce her, so that Domitian could marry her himself.^[5] Despite its initial recklessness, the alliance was very prestigious for both families. The new marriage rehabilitated Corbulo's family, while serving the broader Flavian propaganda of the time, which sought to diminish Vespasian's political success under the less reputable emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty . Instead connections to Claudius and Britannicus were emphasised, and Nero's victims, or those otherwise disadvantaged by him, rehabilitated.^[2]

In 73, Domitia and Domitian's only attested son was born. It is not known what the boy's name was, but he died in childhood sometime between 77 and 81.^[6] During this time, Domitian's role in the Flavian government was largely ceremonial . While his elder brother Titus shared almost equal powers with his father, Domitian was left with honours but no responsibilities.^[7] This situation remained unchanged when Titus succeeded Vespasian as Emperor on June 23, 79, leading both ancient and modern authors to suggest a mutual animosity between the two brothers. In 80, Titus granted a suffect consulship to Domitia's former husband Aelius Lamia, according to Gsell as a personal insult against Domitian.^[8] On another occasion, when Titus urged Lamia to marry again, Lamia asked whether "he too was looking for a wife".^[9]

After barely two years in office, Titus unexpectedly died of brain fever on September 13, 81. His last words were reported to have been: "I have made but one mistake".^[10] The contemporary historian Suetonius speculated on the possible involvement of Domitian in his brother's death, attributing his final words to a popular rumour of the time, which held that Titus had carried on an affair with Domitia Longina. However even he dismisses the story as highly unlikely.^[6][10]

On September 14, the Roman Senate confirmed Domitian as Titus' successor, granting tribunician power, the office of Pontifex Maximus, and the titles of Augustus , and Pater Patriae. Consequently, Domitia Longina became Empress of Rome.

 Empress of Rome

Shortly following his accession as Emperor, Domitian bestowed the honorific title of Augusta upon Domitia, while their late son was deified . Both appeared on Domitian's coinage during this time. Nevertheless, the marriage appears to have faced a significant crisis in 83. For reasons unknown, Domitian briefly exiled Domitia, and then soon recalled her, either out of love or amidst rumours he was carrying on a relationship with his niece Julia Flavia.^[11] According to Suetonius, Domitia was exiled because of an affair with a famous actor named Paris . When Domitian found out, he allegedly murdered Paris in the street, and promptly divorced his wife. Suetonius further adds that, once Domitia was exiled, Domitian took Julia as his mistress, who later died during a failed abortion .^[12]

Modern historians consider this highly implausible however, noting that many of these stories were propagated by hostile senatorial authors, who condemned Domitian as a tyrant after his death. Malicious rumours, such as those concerning Domitia's alleged infidelity, were eagerly repeated, and used to highlight the hypocrisy of a ruler publicly preaching a return to Augustan morals, while privately indulging in excesses and presiding over a corrupt court.^[13] Domitian did exile his wife, but Jones argues that most likely he did so for her failure to produce an heir .^[6] Nevertheless, rumours regarding Domitia's alleged misconduct with Paris circulated even in Domitian's time, and he did not take insults directed at his marriage lightly. Not long after his accession, Aelius Lamia was put to death for the joking remarks made earlier during the reign of Titus.^[14] In 93, a son of Helvidius Priscus was executed for having composed a farce satirizing Domitian's separation from his wife. Stories of Domitian's affair with Julia were likely an invention of post-Domitianic writers however.^[15] She died a natural death, and was subsequently deified by Domitian.^[11]

By 84, Domitia had returned to the palace,^[16] where she lived for the remainder of Domitian's reign without incident.^[17] Little is known of Domitia's precise activities as Empress, or how much influence she wielded in Domitian's government, but it seems her role was largely limited to ceremonial appearances. From Suetonius, we know that she at least accompanied the Emperor to the theatre , while the Jewish writer Josephus speaks of benefits he received from her.^[18] Despite the crisis of 83, their relationship appears to have been happy. Domitian never married another woman in his life.

 Later years

On September 18, 96, Domitian was assassinated in a palace conspiracy organized by court officials. His body was carried away on a common bier, and unceremoniously cremated by his nurse Phyllis, who mingled the ashes with those of his niece Julia at the Flavian temple.^[19] The same day, he was succeeded by his friend and advisor, Marcus Cocceius Nerva . Ancient sources have implicated Domitia in the conspiracy against Domitian, either by direct involvement, or advance awareness of the assassination. The historian Cassius Dio, writing more than a century after the assassination, claimed that Domitia chanced upon a list of courtiers Domitian intended to put to death, and passed the information to his chamberlain Parthenius.^[20] The story is most likely apocryphal however, with Herodian attributing a similar tale to the assassination of Commodus. According to Jones, the evidence suggests that Domitia remained devoted to Domitian, even after his death.^[18] Twenty-five years after her husband's assassination, and despite the fact that his memory had been damned by the Senate, she still referred to herself as "Domitia, wife of Domitian".^[18][21]

Sometime between 126 and 140, a temple dedicated to Domitia was erected in Gabii. She died peacefully.