Closing the Circle of History: the Judaea Capta Coin

In the picture: After the conquest of Judea and the destruction of Jerusalem, the Romans minted coins to commemorate their great victory and the humiliation of the Jews. The Roman coin features the image of a mourning woman, representing Judah. The woman appears sitting on the ground at the foot of a date palm, the symbol of Judah, with a Roman soldier standing next to her. Surrounding the figures are the words Judaea Capta (Judah has been captured). The reverse bears the image of the victorious emperor Vespasian.

In the picture: On Israel’s tenth anniversary (1958) the authorities minted a commemorative medal on one side of which was the image of the Judaea Capta coin, and on the reverse, the words “Liberated Israel.” Thus the circle of history, which had opened with the destruction of the Temple and the loss of the land, was closed.